FHFA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House is expected nominate Mark Calabria, an outspoken critic of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to take over as the mortgage giants’ top regulator, a senior administration official told POLITICO. Calabria, now Vice President Mike Pence’s chief economist, had expressed interest in becoming the next director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency for months. Current FHFA Director Mel Watt, the last remaining Obama-appointed financial regulator, is expected to leave the post Jan. 4 when his five-year term expires. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the heart of the nation’s mortgage-financing system, and the FHFA director is responsible for overseeing their massive $5.4 trillion portfolio. The companies have been in conservatorship since 2008, when Treasury seized control of them to prevent their collapse during the housing crisis.”
–Katy O’Donnell, “Trump expected to name Pence aide Calabria as top housing regulator,” Politico, Deember 10, 2018 2:36 pm