But
unlike
some
other
selections
who
have
had
to
flow
through
the
Senate
Banking
Committee,
Pulte
earned
a
measure
of
bipartisan
support
when
his
nomination
was
forwarded
to
the
full
Senate.
Two
committee
Democrats
—
Sens.
Ruben
Gallego
of
Arizona
and
Angela
Alsobrooks
of
Maryland
—
crossed
the
aisle
to
advance
his
nomination
in
a
vote
of
15-9.

The
committee’s
other
recent
nominees
—
including
Jonathan
McKernan
to
lead
the


Consumer
Financial
Protection
Bureau
(CFPB)
director
and
Scott
Turner,
the
now-confirmed
secretary
of
the


U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
—
did
not
receive
the
same
consideration
from
Democrats.

Immediately
after
the
confirmation
vote,
the


Mortgage
Bankers
Association
(MBA)
released
a
statement
to
congratulate
Pulte.

“MBA
congratulates
William
Pulte
on
his
confirmation
to
serve
as
the
next
FHFA
Director
and
applauds
Senate
leadership
for
its
swift
action
in
scheduling
his
confirmation
vote,”
said
Bob
Broeksmit,
the
MBA’s
president
and
CEO.

“Our
members
stand
ready
to
work
with
Director
Pulte
and
his
team,


Fannie
Mae
and


Freddie
Mac
staff,
the


Federal
Home
Loan
Banks,
and
other
industry
stakeholders
to
increase
affordable
and
sustainable
homeownership
and
rental
housing
opportunities
for
all
Americans
while
ensuring
a
robust
secondary
mortgage
market
for
single-family
and
multifamily
lenders
of
all
sizes
and
business
models.”

During
his
Senate

confirmation
hearing,
Pulte
briefly
addressed
his
outlook
on
removing
the
government-sponsored
enterprises
(GSEs)
from
conservatorship,
saying
that
the
process
should
not
be
rushed.

“While
their
conservatorship
should
not
be
indefinite,
any
exit
from
conservatorship
must
be
carefully
planned
to
ensure
the
safety
and
soundness
of
the
housing
market
without
upward
pressure
on

mortgage
rates,”
he
said.

The


National
Association
of
Realtors
(NAR)
also
released
a
statement
of
congratulations.

“FHFA
oversees
a
housing
finance
system
that
is
uniquely
American,
but
whose
reform
is
long
delayed,”
said
Shannon
McGahn,
NAR’s
executive
vice
president
and
chief
advocacy
officer.
“Fannie
Mae
and
Freddie
Mac,
collectively
the
‘GSEs’,
are
the
backbone
for
middle-class
homeownership
and
rentership.
It
is
of
the
utmost
importance
that
we
take
a
measured
and
thoughtful
approach
to
any
GSE
reforms.”

McGahn
added
that
NAR
is
confident
that
Pulte
“will
help
strengthen
the
housing
finance
system
and
support
sustainable
homeownership
for
all
Americans.
We
look
forward
to
working
with
him
to
ensure
a
stable,
accessible,
and
thriving
housing
market
for
generations
to
come.”