Ginnie Mae recently brought together more than 150 senior government officials and industry leaders from 13 countries at its inaugural U.S.-Latin America Investor Roundtable at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) headquarters in Washington, D.C. to discuss housing finance in a social impact and sustainability framework.
The conference, held both in-person and virtually, held panel discussions on the expansion of housing finance availability through the use of portfolio lending or capital markets funding, government’s role in promoting social and sustainable lending, innovation in housing finance, and more affordable and environmentally friendly housing.
An historic assembly
“This roundtable brought a historic assembly of global leaders together to tackle the biggest issues in housing,” said former HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “This roundtable brought a historic assembly of global leaders together to tackle the biggest issues in housing, including social and sustainable lending, and innovation in housing finance.”
International participants came from 13 countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Chile, Panama, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Korea, and Japan.
In addition to welcoming remarks from Alven Lam, Managing Director of International Markets for Ginnie Mae, and Tatiana Gallego, Chief of the Housing and Urban Development Division, InterAmerican Development Bank, opening remarks were delivered by Alanna McCargo, President of Ginnie Mae, and Juan Pablo Bonilla, Manager of the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Sector, Inter-American Development Bank.
Affordability worldwide
“Housing affordability and community development is a central part of the many policy and economic priorities we share across the Americas,” said Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo. “Our collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and the organizations that participated in the roundtable is a start of collective work to pursue avenues to increase the affordable housing supply and help more households access safe and affordable rental and homeownership opportunities.”
An array of speakers and industry stakeholders took part in several panel discussions covering a number of pertinent topics, including:
• Expansion of Housing Finance Availability Through the Use of Portfolio Lending or Capital Markets Funding
• Government’s Role in Promoting Social and Sustainable Lending
• Innovation in Housing Finance
• Sustainable Housing and Climate Risk
“Despite differences in the structure of our housing finance systems, we all face similar challenges, such as natural disasters, affordability, and reaching underserved populations,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon. “Sharing ideas and approaches is a way to highlight successful innovations and to enrich all our programs, underscoring the importance of our role as a global partner.”
Ginnie Mae continues to advance housing
Ginnie Mae recently announced that its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) portfolio outstanding grew to $2.54 trillion in February, including $30.9 billion of total MBS issuance, leading to $11.4 billion of net growth. February’s new MBS issuance supports the financing of more than 96,000 households, including more than 44,000 first-time homebuyers.
Click here for more information on the inaugural U.S.-Latin America Investor Roundtable.
