Big lenders are complaining that these mortgage giants, created by the government to encourage home ownership, have overstepped their roles.
"In recent weeks, the likes of Wells Fargo & Co., American International Group Inc. and General Electric Co.'s GE Capital unit have amplified longstanding complaints about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Started decades ago by the federal government to make the mortgage market run more smoothly, Fannie and Freddie buy mortgages from lenders and package loans for sale to institutional investors. But Wells Fargo, AIG and GE Capital say that, contrary to their innocuous names, Fannie and Freddie are improperly expanding beyond their original purpose and using bullying tactics to stifle criticism." Concerns are raised over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's use of new technologies, which have made them more efficient.
Thanks to Chris Steins
Read the full story: Why Big Lenders Are So Afraid Of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
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Malls are becoming the midtowns of the future
Mall and office park redevelopments are a generational opportunity to create new nodes of urbanity.
NYC breaks ground on anti-flooding infrastructure project
New York City's new system will reduce stormwater flows to local sewers by 90%.
One Kentucky town’s secret to affordable housing
The Smoketown Community Land Trust has already built seven affordable homes for community members.
Houston gains petal-shaped cooling infrastructure to make streets more ‘delightful’
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority