November 3, 2017
Statement: House Tax Reform Legislation

U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI) President and Executive Director Lindsey Johnson issued the following statement on H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” the comprehensive tax bill released by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee yesterday.

October 26, 2017
Statement: Nomination Hearing of Brian Montgomery for FHA Commissioner

Lindsey Johnson, President and Executive Director of the U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI), today issued the following statement on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs’ hearing on the nomination of Brian Montgomery for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner.

September 14, 2017
Statement: Confirmation of Deputy HUD Secretary Pam Patenaude

USMI applauds the Senate for its confirmation of Pam Patenaude to be Deputy Secretary of HUD. As a longtime public servant and expert in the housing finance system, Deputy Secretary Patenaude fully understands the need for a coordinated, consistent, and transparent approach to federal housing policy across government channels.

September 12, 2017
Letter: USMI Joins Coalition in Support of Full Senate Vote on Pam Patenaude

USMI joined nearly 60 other organizations in supporting a full Senate vote on the nomination of Pam Patenaude as HUD Deputy Secretary.

September 6, 2017
Blog: How to lower your monthly mortgage payment

Owning your own home comes with many advantages, including escaping rising rents and the personal and financial stability associated with homeownership. Fortunately, millions of Americans, with less than 20 percent down, have been able to buy a home sooner thanks to mortgage insurance.

August 22, 2017
Report: Urban Institute Report Highlights Role Private Mortgage Insurers Have Played to Protect Taxpayers, Expand Access to Homeownership for 60 Years

For 60 years, private mortgage insurance (MI) has helped more than 25 million families become successful homeowners. To commemorate this milestone, the Urban Institute examined the industry’s history and the positive role MI has served for homebuyers and the mortgage finance system overall.

August 2, 2017
Letter: Comments on CFPB on the Ability-to-Repay/QM Rule

On July 31st, USMI submitted the following response to the request for comment regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s notice of assessment of the Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule.

July 28, 2017
Statement: March 2017 FHFA Credit Risk Transfer Progress Report and RFI

Private mortgage insurance is a 60-year old bedrock of the housing system that for decades has helped low down payment borrowers qualify for mortgage financing—more than 25 million borrowers to date—and has provided critical credit risk protection to the government and taxpayers through numerous housing cycles.

July 21, 2017
Statement: Requests to Reduce FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums

WASHINGTON — This week, 25 members of Congress sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson urging him to reinstate a cut scheduled under the Obama Administration to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance premiums (MIP). The following statement can be attributed to Lindsey Johnson, USMI President and Executive Director.

June 29, 2017
Newsletter: June 1027

USMI released a paper assessing housing finance reform proposals announced by housing institutions and organizations, the Senate Banking Committee held a hearing on housing finance reform, Genworth Financial introduced its first-ever First-Time Homebuyer Market Report, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) submitted its 2016 annual report to Congress, and American Action Forum (AAF) commented on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the GSEs) increasingly risky credit portfolios while calling for greater usage of private mortgage insurance (MI).

June 26, 2017
Report: Assessing Proposals to Reform America’s Housing Finance System

Nearly a decade after the financial crisis, the housing finance system remains largely structurally unreformed.

June 2, 2017
Newsletter: June 2017

The Trump administration released its 2018 federal budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testified before the U.S. Senate on potential GSE reform, USMI and numerous other housing industry groups voiced their support for the nomination of Pam Patenaude to serve as Deputy Secretary of HUD, and several third party groups released white papers on access to affordable mortgage credit and housing finance reform.