Month: September 2015

Lindsey Johnson, President

Posted on by dcadmin

Lindsey Johnson currently serves as President of USMI. USMI is the nation’s leading private mortgage insurance association, comprised of five of the six U.S. mortgage insurance companies in the country. As President of USMI, Lindsey works with member companies to advance the value of private mortgage insurance (MI) to borrowers and taxpayers and to promote a sustainable housing finance system backed by private capital.

Lindsey previously served as a Director on PwC’s public policy team. Prior to joining PwC, Lindsey was a former member of the Senate Banking Committee staff as the Republican Staff Director for the Senate Banking Committee’s National Security and International Trade and Finance (NSITF) Subcommittee, and as a Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Mark Kirk (R-Illinois), focusing on noteworthy banking, housing finance reform, and insurance legislation.

Lindsey also served as Director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta for seven years, representing the Bank in D.C. at the highest levels of government during several key legislative reforms that impacted the Bank including the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 and Dodd-Frank Act.

Lindsey began her career in D.C. working with former House Republican Conference Chair J.C. Watts in the private sector. She received an MBA from Georgetown University. Lindsey also serves as a Director on the Board, and immediate past-president of Women in Housing and Finance (www.whfdc.org), is a Director on the Board for Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia, and an Advisory Board Member for the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Advisory Committee.

Letter: Opposition Builds Against Using Mortgage G-Fees to Fund Highway Bill

Posted on by dcadmin

(September 17, 2015) This week, in a joint letter to the bipartisan Congressional leadership, USMI and a diverse coalition of thirty-two housing organizations reiterated their opposition to using the mortgage credit risk guarantee fees (g-fees) charged by the housing finance enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as a source to finance extension of federal highway programs.  The letter states: “increasing g-fees for other purposes… imposes an unjustified burden on the housing finance system.”  “Adding an additional fee to mortgages for unrelated expenses would only increase the hurdles these families already face in achieving the American dream of homeownership”, it continues.

The full text of the letter can be found here

Statement: Mortgage Insurance Tax Deduction for Low and Moderate Income Homeowners Increases Average Deduction per Return Also Rises in 2013 According to New IRS Data

Posted on by dcadmin

(September 10, 2015) According to new data released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), approximately 4.7 million taxpayers benefited from a deduction for private Mortgage Insurance (MI) in 2013, up from 4.1 million in 2012.  Of the taxpayers that took the deduction for private MI, 82% of them had adjusted gross incomes between $30,000 and $100,000 and the average amount per return rose to $1,387 in 2013, up from $1,304 in 2012.  The total estimated net tax benefit topped $900 million, up from approximately $750 million in 2012.

“Mortgage insurance is helping millions of middle income families achieve homeownership,” said Rohit Gupta, President and CEO of Genworth Mortgage Insurance and Chair of U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI).  “Congress has recognized that MI premiums are the economic equivalent of mortgage interest and should be deductible from federal income taxes in a similar manner.  We urge Congress to ensure this important provision of the tax code is extended.”

On December 17, 2014 Congress passed a one year extension of vital homeowner tax relief that included the tax-deductible treatment of mortgage insurance premiums for low and moderate income borrowers, after it had expired at the end of 2013.  On July 21, 2015 The Senate Finance Committee approved legislation with a two year tax extension of MI deductibility, and the House Ways & Means Committee is expected to consider similar legislation in September.  USMI believes that the ability of borrowers to deduct MI premiums from federal income taxes should be made permanent.

The IRS data for 2013 is available at http://www.irs.gov/uac/SOI-Tax-Stats-Individual-Income-Tax-Returns-Publication-1304-%28Complete-Report%29

Download as PDF