The National Association of Realtors welcomes the Obama Administration’s call for an orderly transition from the current form of the secondary mortgage market to a new structure that would enable Americans to achieve affordable, sustainable mortgages.

“NAR believes that we cannot have a restoration of the former secondary mortgage market with entities that took private profits while pushing losses onto the taxpayer,” says NAR President Ron Phipps. “The new system must involve some government presence, outside of FHA, USDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to ensure a continued flow of capital to housing markets during economic downturns when large lenders flee the housing market.”

NAR believes that the size of the government’s participation in housing finance should decrease if the market is to function properly, but notes that when private capital fled the marketplace during the recent financial crisis, government backing of residential mortgages was critical in sustaining the housing market.

NAR encourages private sector participation in less traditional mortgages in innovative ways, such as through covered bonds. NAR, however, opposes raising fees for current well-qualified consumers to cover losses stemming from mistakes made in the private business decisions of the former Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“Reducing the government’s involvement in the mortgage finance market is necessary for a healthy market, but should not be done at the expense of the economy or home buyers,” says Phipps. “Any proposal for increasing fees and borrowing costs beyond actuarially sound levels will only make it harder for working, middle-class individuals to achieve home ownership, and only the wealthy will be able to achieve the American dream.