September 16, 2026 1 min read

How Congress Can Unlock $600 Million More Every Year for Affordable Housing

FS

Congress chartered the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) System in 1932 to help lower housing costs by providing reliable, affordable liquidity to institutions engaged in mortgage lending. As government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), the FHLBs receive an estimated $7.3 billion in public subsidies each year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But the FHLBs have strayed from their housing mission. The majority of FHLB loans (“advances”) now go to the nation’s largest banks and insurance companies. The benefits of the System have increasingly skewed towards maximizing profits and executive pay rather than meeting the nation’s housing needs.

Learn how Congress can unlock $600 million more every year for affordable housing by implementing responsible reforms to the FHLB System. 

Our Subject Matter Experts

Related Articles

FS
September 16, 2026 / Press Releases
CFA and the Coalition for FHLBank Reform Endorse Rep. Maxine Waters' Bill to Increase Affordable Housing Funding
FS
September 09, 2026 / Blogs
Revising Myths about the Federal Home Loan Banks: A Close Look at Two Recent Studies on the Links Between Advance Lending and Housing Activity
FS
August 18, 2026 / Blogs
Demystifying the Fixer-Upper Home: Renovation Mortgages 101
FS
July 20, 2026 / Blogs
The First Congressional Hearing on the Federal Home Loan Banks in 15 Years: A Taxpayer-Subsidized Housing System Gone Astray