Enterprise Capital Requirements

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA or the Agency) is proposing a new regulatory capital framework for the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (collectively, the Enterprises), which includes a new framework for risk-based capital requirements and two alternatives for an updated minimum leverage capital requirement. The risk-based framework would provide a granular assessment of credit risk specific to different mortgage loan categories, as well as market risk, operational risk, and going-concern buffer components. The proposed rule would maintain the statutory definitions of core capital and total capital. FHFA has suspended the Enterprises' capital requirements since the beginning of conservatorship, and FHFA plans to continue this suspension while the Enterprises remain in conservatorship. Despite this suspension, FHFA believes it is appropriate to update the Agency's standards on Enterprise capital requirements to provide transparency to all stakeholders about FHFA's supervisory view on this topic. In addition, while the Enterprises are in conservatorship, FHFA will expect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to use assumptions about capital described in the rule's risk-based capital requirements in making pricing and other business decisions. Feedback on this proposed rule will also inform FHFA's views in evaluating Enterprise business decisions while the Enterprises remain in conservatorship.