New Ginnie Prez to Tout MBS to Foreigners
July 2006
Nation Mortgage News MortgageWire
Robert Couch, the newly sworn-in Ginnie Mae president, says the agency
needs to do a better job of promoting Ginnie-guaranteed mortgage-backed
securities to foreign investors. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have
done a great job of tapping foreign capital markets, Mr. Couch told
MortgageWire. "We need to get the message out that Ginnie MBS are the only
ones that carry the full faith and credit of the U.S. government," he said.
"That ought to be a strong message to foreign investors, particularly those
looking for a safe investment." But the new Ginnie Mae president said his
top priority is to actively support passage of Federal Housing
Administration reform that would make FHA single-family loans more
competitive and indirectly boost issuance of Ginnie MBS. Ginnie Mae and the
FHA are "joined at the hip," Mr. Couch said. In recent years Ginnie MBS
issuance has declined with the drop in FHA originations, but he noted that
issuance has stabilized thanks to administrative changes that made the FHA
program more attractive. Mr. Couch was president of New South Federal
Savings Bank, Birmingham, Ala., and managing director of Collateral
Mortgage, which originated FHA loans. He was chairman of the Mortgage
Bankers Association from October 2003 to October 2004.
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