HUD Provides Draft FY22-26 Strategic Plan
HUD has published a draft Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 strategic plan outlining goals and priorities that will enable HUD to achieve its mission to provide safe, decent, affordable housing. The strategic plan is based on four focus areas:
- Support Underserved Communities. HUD will fortify support for underserved communities and support equitable community development for all people in America. To support this focus area, HUD will advance housing justice for vulnerable populations and underserved communities by enforcing Fair Housing laws; reduce homelessness by strengthening Federal, State, Tribal, and community implementation of the Housing First approach to reducing the prevalence of homelessness, with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness; and invest in the success of our residents, communities, Tribes, and grantees by promoting inclusive community economic development that generates equitable wealth-building, particularly for underserved communities.
- Ensure Access to and Increase the Production of Affordable Housing. HUD will ensure the housing demand is matched by adequate production of new homes and equitable access to housing opportunities for all people. To support this focus area, HUD will increase the supply of housing by enhancing HUD’s programs that increase the production and supply of housing across the country; and improve rental assistance to address the need for affordable housing.
- Promote Homeownership. HUD will support homeownership opportunity and wealth-building in underserved communities by promoting equitable access to credit for the purchase, refinance, and improvement of homes. To support this focus area, HUD will advance sustainable homeownership by providing affordable homeownership tools, down payment assistance, and housing counseling; and advance equity in the housing finance system through new policy, programs, and modernization initiatives to preserve and increase the supply of affordable housing while removing barriers to access.
- Advance Sustainable Communities. HUD will advance sustainable communities by strengthening climate resilience and energy efficiency, promoting environmental justice, and recognizing housing’s role as essential to health. To support this focus area, HUD will guide investment in climate resilience, energy efficiency, and renewable energy across HUD investments and disaster recovery and mitigation programs; strengthen environmental justice through Federal, State, and local protections for low-income households and communities of color who are disproportionately exposed to health risks, environmental hazards, and substandard housing; and integrate healthcare, supportive services, and housing policies that recognize housing’s role as essential to health.
HUD is inviting public feedback on the draft FY22-26 Strategic Plan focus areas, which can be sent by email at SPPD@HUD.gov. Please note that comments are due by Friday, January 28, 2022.
OCC Issues Final Rule to Rescind and Replace CRA Rule Issued in 2020
This week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a final rule to rescind the June 2020 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rule and replace it with a rule based on the rules adopted jointly by the federal banking agencies in 1995. The final rule aligns the OCC’s CRA rules with the current Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation rules and thereby facilitates the ongoing interagency work to modernize the CRA regulatory framework and create consistency for all insured depository institutions. The final rule takes effect on January 1, 2022, with a separate compliance date of April 1, 2022, for the rule’s public file and public notice requirements. The final rule applies to national banks and federal and state savings associations, including community banks, covered by the CRA. Many aspects of the OCC’s June 2020 CRA rule have not yet been implemented because of the delayed compliance dates for some of the rule’s more material components (i.e., national banks and savings associations have remained subject to the 1995 rules in many respects). Therefore, the OCC anticipates that the final rule will have a limited impact on banks. The final rule also has transition provisions intended to ease burdens associated with it. Specifically:
- the OCC will provide newly designated large banks (banks that were small banks before the June 2020 CRA rule but are large banks under the final rule) with one year to comply with the final rule’s data collection, record-keeping, and reporting requirements;
- with respect to the qualifying activities criteria or retail or community development definitions, banks will receive consideration in their CRA examinations for activities in effect at the time the banks conducted the activities or entered into legally binding commitments to conduct the activities, including under the June 2020 rule;
- bank strategic plans approved before January 1, 2022, remain in effect except for any provisions that are inconsistent with the final rule; and
- banks are not required to comply with the final rule’s public file and public notice provisions until April 1, 2022.
The OCC will also afford implementation flexibility to national banks and federal savings associations to the extent permitted by the final rule and related CRA guidance (for example, the Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment) , including through the application of performance context.
To view the final rule, click here.
FHFA Director Nominated; Ginnie Mae President Confirmed
This week, President Biden nominated Sandra Thompson to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Thompson has been serving as acting director since June, when the president appointed her to that position. Since March 2013, she had served as deputy director of the Division of Housing Mission and Goals. In that capacity, Thompson oversaw FHFA’s housing and regulatory policy, capital policy, financial analysis, fair lending, and all mission activities for the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs).
Additionally, the U.S. Senate confirmed Alanna McCargo to serve as president of Ginnie Mae. McCargo currently serves as a senior advisor on housing finance at HUD. Before joining HUD, McCargo was vice president of the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center, where she developed dozens of reports and analyses on the top issues impacting affordable homeownership lending.
President Biden Signs Executive Order to Improve Consumer Experience
On Monday, President Biden issued an Executive Order, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, directing government leaders to account for the experiences of the public in seeking government services. The Executive Order was issued in response to the frustration and difficulty felt by millions navigating a tangled web of government websites, offices, and phone numbers to access the services they depend on. The Executive Order directs federal agencies to put people at the center of everything the Government does. Specifically, the Executive Order includes 36 customer experience improvement commitments across 17 federal agencies, all of which aim to improve people’s lives and the delivery of government services. The Executive Order also creates a sustained, cross-government service delivery process that aligns to the moments that matter most in people’s lives – like turning 65, having a child, or applying for a small business loan. As part of this framework, the Administration will work to identify and define critical services that meet customers’ needs and expectations, assess performance delivery and report it publicly, incorporate customer feedback during each interaction, and ultimately ensure services deliver a better experience to the public. Every interaction between the government and the public, whether it involves filing taxes or renewing a passport, is an opportunity to deliver the value, service, and efficiency that the public expects and deserves.
The White House has designated 35 High-Impact Service Providers in federal agencies as key service providers due to the volume and types of benefits, services, and programs they deliver to the public. As part of this Executive Order, agencies commit to putting their customers at the center of everything they do. These actions include modernizing programs, reducing administrative burdens, and piloting new online tools and technologies that can provide a simple, seamless, and secure customer experience. The types of interactions that the Executive Order addresses, include reducing barriers to critical safety net programs for those experiencing poverty. Low-income families can more easily enroll in federal benefits and recertify their income status more easily across programs using direct certification, a process that automatically certifies income-eligible individuals without extra paperwork, instead of managing multiple, complicated processes that waste time and cause frustration. Those navigating across multiple programs can expect a “no-wrong door” approach – interacting with one Federal program can help get them connected with other benefits and streamline enrollment for which they are eligible. This Executive Order is a continuation of the launch of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA) Vision, which prioritizes delivering excellent, equitable, and secure Federal services and customer experience. The PMA recognizes that improving the delivery, efficiency, security, and effectiveness of government programs will advance equity, enhance people’s everyday interactions with public services, and provide greater opportunities for those who need it the most.
To view the Executive Order on Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, click here. To view the accompanying fact sheet, click here.