The Федеральное агентство жилищного финансирования (FHFA) and Director Bill Pulte are asking Конгресс for the power to bring civil lawsuits against individuals suspected of мошенничество с ипотекой.
In its newest Annual Report to Congress, released Monday, the ФХФА recommended new authority to directly sue for mortgage market fraud. This would allow the agency to file the same types of lawsuits in state or federal courts that Фанни Мэй, Фредди Мак или Федеральные банки жилищного кредитования (FHLBanks) can.
Alternatively, the FHFA suggested Congress could create a new federal law against mortgage fraud that the agency could enforce in federal court. This would explicitly mirror the Комиссия по Безопасности и Обмену (SEC)’s direct power to sue for insider trading.
The FHFA did not reply to ЖильеПроволоказапрос на комментарий.
Pulte, who was назначен earlier this month as acting director of national интеллект (DNI), has aggressively targeted mortgage fraud as part of leading a major overhaul of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). He has filed multiple criminal referrals to the Департамент правосудия (DOJ), alleging mortgage fraud against Федеральный резерв Губернатор Лиза Кук, New York Attorney General Летиция Джеймс, and Sen. Адам Шифф (D-Calif.).
Last year, the FHFA also announced a партнерство с Технологии Палантир to launch an artificial intelligence-powered crime detection unit at Fannie Mae. Around the same time, the agency established an official mortgage fraud tip line for whistleblowers and the public.
The agency said that all federal regulators overseeing mortgages should be empowered to take action against fraud but noted that its current authorities are “indirect or limited.”
Right now, the FHFA is legally required to get reports when fraud is suspected, but it must pass these cases on to other agencies for potential action. It can also block the organizations it regulates from doing business with anyone convicted or sanctioned in the past three years. But only in very specific circumstances can it bring an enforcement action against a partner who fails to ensure the eligibility of loans.
The FHFA is also asking Congress for the legal authority to set safety standards for outside services provided to the organizations it regulates. The agency wants the ability to directly examine the records, operations and facilities of key third-party service providers.
“FHFA’s regulated entities rely on third-party service providers for a wide range of services, some of which are critical to their operations,” the FHFA stated in its Annual Report. “FHFA has limited authority to assess the impact of third-party relationships on the safe and sound operations of its regulated entities.”
According to the agency, the Счетная палата правительства (GAO), the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), and the FHFA’s own Inspector General have all identified this lack of oversight as a top risk and recommended that Congress close the gap.
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