Collapse to view only § 1720. Repealed.
- § 1716. Declaration of purposes of subchapter
- §§ 1716-1, 1716a. Repealed.
- § 1716b. Partition of Federal National Mortgage Association into Federal National Mortgage Association and Government National Mortgage Association; assets and liabilities; operations
- § 1717. Federal National Mortgage Association and Government National Mortgage Association
- § 1717a. Prohibition against sale of obligations by Federal departments and agencies after
- § 1718. Capitalization of Federal National Mortgage Association
- § 1719. Secondary market operations
- § 1720. Repealed.
- § 1721. Management and liquidation functions of Government National Mortgage Association
- § 1722. Benefits and burdens incident to administration of functions and operations under sections 1720 and 1721
- § 1723. Management
- § 1723a. General powers of Government National Mortgage Association and Federal National Mortgage Association
- § 1723b. Investment of funds
- § 1723c. Obligations, participations, or other instruments as lawful investments; acceptance as security; exempt securities
- § 1723d. Transfer of certain functions to Association
- § 1723e. Repealed.
- § 1723f. Repealed.
- §§ 1723g, 1723h. Repealed.
- § 1723i. Civil money penalties against issuers
The purposes of this title include the partition of the Federal National Mortgage Association as heretofore existing into two separate and distinct corporations, each of which shall have continuity and corporate succession as a separated portion of the previously existing corporation. One of such corporations, to be known as Federal National Mortgage Association, will be a Government-sponsored private corporation, will retain the assets and liabilities of the previously existing corporation accounted for under section 1719 of this title, and will continue to operate the secondary market operations authorized by such section 1719. The other, to be known as Government National Mortgage Association, will remain in the Government, will retain the assets and liabilities of the previously existing corporation accounted for under sections 1720 1
After June 30, 1966, no department or agency listed in section 1717(c)(2) of this title may sell any obligation held by it except as provided in section 1717(c) of this title, or as approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, except that this prohibition shall not apply to the Government National Mortgage Association.
The corporation shall have common stock, without par value, which shall be vested with all voting rights, each share being entitled to one vote with rights of cumulative voting at all elections of directors. The corporation may eliminate such rights of cumulative voting by a resolution adopted by its board of directors and approved by the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock voting in person or by proxy at the annual meeting, or other special meeting, at which such resolution is considered. The corporation may have preferred stock on such terms and conditions as the board of directors shall prescribe. The free transferability of the stock at all times to any person, firm, corporation, or other entity shall not be restricted except that, as to the corporation, it shall be transferable only on the books of the corporation. The corporation may issue shares of common stock in return for appropriate payments into capital or capital and surplus.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any institution, including a national bank or State member bank of the Federal Reserve System or any member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, trust company, or other banking organization, organized under any law of the United States, including the laws relating to the District of Columbia, shall be authorized to purchase shares of common stock of the corporation and to hold or dispose of such stock, subject to the provisions of this subchapter.
For the purposes of this section, the corporation is authorized to issue, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and have outstanding at any one time obligations having such maturities and bearing such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to be redeemable at the option of the corporation before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of its obligations issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such obligations, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation. The corporation is authorized to purchase in the open market any of its obligations outstanding under this subsection at any time and at any price.
The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized in the Secretary’s discretion to purchase any obligations issued pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as now or hereafter in force, and for such purpose the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to use as a public debt transaction the proceeds of the sale of any securities hereafter issued under chapter 31 of title 31, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are extended to include such purchases. The Secretary of the Treasury shall not at any time purchase any obligations under this subsection if such purchase would increase the aggregate principal amount of the Secretary’s then outstanding holdings of such obligations under this subsection to an amount greater than $2,250,000,000. Each purchase of obligations by the Secretary of the Treasury under this subsection shall be upon such terms and conditions as to yield a return at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the current average rate on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States as of the last day of the month preceding the making of such purchase. The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, sell, upon such terms and conditions and at such price or prices as the Secretary shall determine, any of the obligations acquired by the Secretary under this subsection. All redemptions, purchases, and sales by the Secretary of the Treasury of such obligations under this subsection shall be treated as public debt transactions of the United States.
To provide a greater degree of liquidity to the mortgage investment market and an additional means of financing its operations under this section, the corporation is authorized to set aside any mortgages held by it under this section, and, upon approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to issue and sell securities based upon the mortgages so set aside. Securities issued under this subsection may be in the form of debt obligations or trust certificates of beneficial interest, or both. Securities issued under this subsection shall have such maturities and bear such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Securities issued by the corporation under this subsection shall, to the same extent as securities which are direct obligations of or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States, be deemed to be exempt securities within the meaning of laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mortgages set aside pursuant to this subsection shall at all times be adequate to enable the corporation to make timely principal and interest payments on the securities issued and sold pursuant to this subsection. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of the securities issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such securities, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation.
For the purposes of this section, the corporation is authorized to issue, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, obligations which are subordinated to any or all other obligations of the corporation, including subsequent obligations. The obligations issued under this subsection shall have such maturities and bear such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury and may be made redeemable at the option of the corporation before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations. Any of such obligations may be made convertible into shares of common stock in such manner, at such price or prices, and at such time or times as may be stipulated therein. Obligations issued by the corporation under this subsection shall, to the same extent as securities which are direct obligations of or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, be deemed to be exempt securities within the meaning of laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of its obligations issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such obligations, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation. The corporation is authorized to purchase in the open market any of its obligations outstanding under this subsection at any time and at any price.
Except for fees paid pursuant to section 1723a(g) of this title and assessments pursuant to section 4516 of this title, no fee or charge may be assessed or collected by the United States (including any executive department, agency, or independent establishment of the United States) on or with regard to the purchase, acquisition, sale, pledge, issuance, guarantee, or redemption of any mortgage, asset, obligation, trust certificate of beneficial interest, or other security by the corporation. No provision of this subsection shall affect the purchase of any obligation by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to subsection (c).
In addition to the authority under subsection (c) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to purchase any obligations and other securities issued by the corporation under any section of this chapter, on such terms and conditions as the Secretary may determine and in such amounts as the Secretary may determine. Nothing in this subsection requires the corporation to issue obligations or securities to the Secretary without mutual agreement between the Secretary and the corporation. Nothing in this subsection permits or authorizes the Secretary, without the agreement of the corporation, to engage in open market purchases of the common securities of the corporation.
Upon exercise of this authority, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate as to the necessity for the purchase and the determinations made by the Secretary under subparagraph (B) and with respect to the considerations required under subparagraph (C), and the size, terms, and probability of repayment or fulfillment of other terms of such purchase.
The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with such purchases.
The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, subject to the terms of the security or otherwise upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell any obligation or security acquired by the Secretary under this subsection.
The authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to hold, exercise any rights received in connection with, or sell, any obligations or securities purchased is not subject to the provisions of paragraph (4).
For the purpose of the authorities granted in this subsection, the Secretary of the Treasury may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of Title 31, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of Title 31 are extended to include such purchases and the exercise of any rights in connection with such purchases. Any funds expended for the purchase of, or modifications to, obligations and securities, or the exercise of any rights received in connection with such purchases under this subsection shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such purchase, modification, or exercise.
The authority under this subsection (g), with the exception of paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, shall expire December 31, 2009.
The Director shall have the power to approve, disapprove, or modify the executive compensation of the corporation, as defined under Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. 229.
To carry out the purposes set forth in paragraph (c) 1
For the purposes of this section and to assure that, to the maximum extent, and as rapidly as possible, private financing will be substituted for Treasury borrowings otherwise required to carry mortgages held under the aforesaid separate accountability, the Association is authorized to issue, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and have outstanding at any one time obligations having such maturities and bearing such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the Association with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to be redeemable at the option of the Association before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations; but in no event shall any such obligations be issued if, at the time of such proposed issuance, and as a consequence thereof, the resulting aggregate amount of its outstanding obligations under this subsection would exceed the amount of the Association’s ownership under the aforesaid separate accountability, free from any liens or encumbrances, of cash, mortgages, and obligations of the United States or guaranteed thereby, or obligations, participations, or other instruments which are lawful investments for fiduciary, trust or public funds. The proceeds of any private financing effected under this subsection shall be paid to the Secretary of the Treasury in reduction of the indebtedness of the Association to the Secretary of the Treasury under the aforesaid separate accountability. The Association shall insert appropriate language in all of its obligations issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such obligations, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the Association. The Association is authorized to purchase in the open market any of its obligations outstanding under this subsection at any time and at any price.
No mortgage shall be purchased by the Association in its operations under this section except pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of a contract or commitment to purchase the same made prior to the cutoff date provided for in section 1718(d) 1 of this title, which contract or commitment became a part of the aforesaid separate accountability, and the total amount of mortgages and commitments held by the Association under this section shall not, in any event, exceed $3,350,000,000: Provided, That such maximum amount shall be progressively reduced by the amount of cash realizations on account of principal of mortgages held under the aforesaid separate accountability and by cancellation of any commitments to purchase mortgages thereunder, as reflected by the books of the Association, with the objective that the entire aforesaid maximum amount shall be eliminated with the orderly liquidation of all mortgages held under the aforesaid separate accountability: And provided further, That nothing in this subsection shall preclude the Association from granting such usual and customary increases in the amounts of outstanding commitments (resulting from increased costs or otherwise) as have theretofore been covered by like increases in commitments granted by the agencies of the Federal Government insuring or guaranteeing the mortgages. There shall be excluded from the total amounts set forth in this subsection the amounts of any mortgages which, subsequent to May 31, 1954, are transferred by law to the Association and held under the aforesaid separate accountability.
The Association may issue to the Secretary of the Treasury its obligations in an amount outstanding at any one time sufficient to enable the Association to carry out its functions under this section, such obligations to mature not more than five years from their respective dates of issue, to be redeemable at the option of the Association before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations. Each such obligation shall bear interest at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the current average rate on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States as of the last day of the month preceding the issuance of the obligation of the Association. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to purchase any obligations of the Association to be issued under this section, and for such purpose the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to use as a public debt transaction the proceeds from the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are extended to include any purchases of the Association’s obligations hereunder.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Association is authorized, under the aforesaid separate accountability, to make commitments to purchase, and to purchase, service, or sell any obligations offered to it by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or any mortgages covering residential property offered to it by any Federal instrumentality, or the head thereof. These shall be excluded from the total amounts set forth in subsection (c) the amounts of any obligations or mortgages purchased by the Association pursuant to this subsection.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this chapter or of any other law, an amount equal to the net decrease for the preceding fiscal year in the aggregate principal amount of all mortgages owned by the Association under this section shall, as of July 1 of each of the years 1961 through 1964, be transferred to and merged with the authority provided under section 1720(a) 1 of this title, and the amount of such authority as specified in section 1720(c) 1 of this title shall be increased by any amounts so transferred.
All of the benefits and burdens incident to the administration of the functions and operations of the Association under sections 1720 and 1721, respectively, of this title, after allowance for related obligations of the Association, its prorated expenses, and the like, including amounts required for the establishment of such reserves as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall deem appropriate, shall inure solely to the Secretary of the Treasury, and such related earnings or other amounts as become available shall be paid annually by the Association to the Secretary of the Treasury for covering into miscellaneous receipts.
All the powers and duties of the Government National Mortgage Association shall be vested in the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Association shall be administered under the direction of the Secretary. Within the limitations of law, the Secretary shall determine the general policies which shall govern the operations of the Association, and shall have power to adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws governing the performance of the powers and duties granted to or imposed upon it by law. There is hereby established in the Department of Housing and Urban Development the position of President, Government National Mortgage Association, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Secretary shall select and effect the appointment of qualified persons to fill the offices of vice president, and such other offices as may be provided for in the bylaws. Persons appointed under the preceding sentence shall perform such executive functions, powers, and duties as may be prescribed by the bylaws or by the Secretary, and such persons shall be executive officers of the Association and shall discharge all such executive functions, powers, and duties.
The Federal National Mortgage Association shall have a board of directors, which shall consist of 13 persons, or such other number that the Director determines appropriate, who shall be elected annually by the common stockholders. Except to the extent that action under section 4636a of this title temporarily results in a lesser number, the board shall at all times have as members at least one person from the homebuilding industry, at least one person from the mortgage lending industry, at least one person from the real estate industry, and at least one person from an organization that has represented consumer or community interests for not less than 2 years or one person who has demonstrated a career commitment to the provision of housing for low-income households. Each member of the board of directors shall be elected for a term ending on the date of the next annual meeting of the stockholders. Any seat on the board which becomes vacant after the annual election of the directors shall be filled by the board, but only for the unexpired portion of the term. Within the limitations of law and regulation, the board shall determine the general policies which shall govern the operations of the corporation, and shall have power to adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws governing the performance of the powers and duties granted to or imposed upon it by law. The board of directors shall select and effect the appointment of qualified persons to fill the offices of president and vice president, and such other offices as may be provided for in the bylaws. Any member of the board who is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government shall not, as such member, receive compensation for his services.
Each of the bodies corporate named in section 1717(a)(2) of this title shall have power to adopt, alter, and use a corporate seal, which shall be judicially noticed; to enter into and perform contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transactions, on such terms as it may deem appropriate, with any agency or instrumentality of the United States, or with any State, Territory, or possession, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or with any political subdivision thereof, or with any person, firm, association, or corporation; to execute, in accordance with its bylaws, all instruments necessary or appropriate in the exercise of any of its powers; in its corporate name, to sue and to be sued, and to complain and to defend, in any court of competent jurisdiction, State or Federal, but no attachment, injunction, or other similar process, mesne or final, shall be issued against the property of the Association or against the Association with respect to its property; to conduct its business without regard to any qualification or similar statute in any State of the United States, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Territories and possessions of the United States; to lease, purchase, or acquire any property, real, personal, or mixed, or any interest therein, to hold, rent, maintain, modernize, renovate, improve, use, and operate such property, and to sell, for cash or credit, lease, or otherwise dispose of the same, at such time and in such manner as and to the extent that it may deem necessary or appropriate; to prescribe, repeal, and amend or modify, rules, regulations, or requirements governing the manner in which its general business may be conducted; to accept gifts or donations of services, or of property, real, personal, or mixed, tangible, or intangible, in aid of any of its purposes; and to do all things as are necessary or incidental to the proper management of its affairs and the proper conduct of its business.
Except as may be otherwise provided in this subchapter, in chapter 91 of title 31, or in other laws specifically applicable to Government corporations, the Association shall determine the necessity for and the character and amount of its obligations and expenditures and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed, paid, and accounted for.
No individual, association, partnership, or corporation, except the bodies corporate named in section 1717(a)(2) of this title, shall hereafter use the words “Federal National Mortgage Association,” “Government National Mortgage Association,” or any combination of such words, as the name or a part thereof under which the individual, association, partnership, or corporation shall do business. Violations of the foregoing sentence may be enjoined by any court of general jurisdiction at the suit of the proper body corporate. In any such suit, the plaintiff may recover any actual damages flowing from such violation, and, in addition, shall be entitled to punitive damages (regardless of the existence or nonexistence of actual damages) of not exceeding $100 for each day during which such violation is committed or repeated.
In order that the Association may be supplied with such forms of obligations or certificates as it may need for issuance under this subchapter, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized, upon request of the Association, to prepare such forms as shall be suitable and approved by the Association, to be held in the Treasury subject to delivery, upon order of the Association. The engraved plates, dies, bed pieces, and other material executed in connection therewith shall remain in the custody of the Secretary of the Treasury. The Association shall reimburse the Secretary of the Treasury for any expenses incurred in the preparation, custody, and delivery of such forms.
The Federal Reserve banks are authorized and directed to act as depositaries, custodians, and fiscal agents for each of the bodies corporate named in section 1717(a)(2) of this title, for its own account or as fiduciary, and such banks shall be reimbursed for such services in such manner as may be agreed upon; and each of such bodies corporate may itself act in such capacities, for its own account or as fiduciary, and for the account of others.
Moneys of the Association not invested in mortgages or other security holdings or in operating facilities shall be kept in cash on hand or on deposit, or invested in obligations of the United States or guaranteed thereby, or in obligations, participations, or other instruments which are lawful investments for fiduciary, trust, or public funds.
All obligations, participations, or other instruments issued by either of the bodies corporate named in section 1717(a)(2) of this title shall be lawful investments, and may be accepted as security for all fiduciary, trust, and public funds, the investment or deposit of which shall be under the authority and control of the United States or any officer or officers thereof. All stock, obligations, securities, participations, or other instruments issued pursuant to this subchapter shall, to the same extent as securities which are direct obligations of or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, be deemed to be exempt securities within the meaning of laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The functions of the Housing and Home Finance Administrator (including the function of making payments to the Secretary of the Treasury) under section 2 of Reorganization Plan Numbered 22 of 1950, together with the notes and capital stock of the Federal National Mortgage Association held by said Administrator thereunder, are transferred to the Federal National Mortgage Association.
Whenever an issuer or custodian approved under section 1721(g) of this title knowingly and materially violates any provisions of subsection (b), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may impose a civil money penalty on the issuer or the custodian in accordance with the provisions of this section. The penalty shall be in addition to any other available civil remedy or any available criminal penalty and may be imposed whether or not the Secretary imposes other administrative sanctions.
The amount of the penalty, as determined by the Secretary, may not exceed $5,000 for each violation, except that the maximum penalty for all violations by a particular issuer or custodian during any one-year period shall not exceed $1,000,000. Each violation of a provision of subsection (b)(1) shall constitute a separate violation with respect to each pool of mortgages. In the case of a continuing violation, as determined by the Secretary, each day shall constitute a separate violation.
Before taking action to impose a civil money penalty for a violation under paragraph (1)(G) or paragraph (1)(I), the Secretary shall inform the Attorney General of the United States.
If no hearing is requested within 15 days of receipt of a notice of opportunity for hearing, the imposition of a penalty shall constitute a final and unappealable determination. If the Secretary reviews the determination or order, the Secretary may affirm, modify, or reverse that determination or order. If the Secretary does not review the determination or order within 90 days of the issuance of the determination or order, the determination or order shall be final.
In determining the amount of a penalty under subsection (a), consideration shall be given to such factors as the gravity of the offense, any history of prior offenses (including offenses occurring before December 15, 1989), ability to pay the penalty, injury to the public, benefits received, deterrence of future violations, and such other factors as the Secretary may determine by regulations.
The Secretary’s determination or order imposing a penalty under subsection (a) shall not be subject to review, except as provided in subsection (d).
After exhausting all administrative remedies established by the Secretary under subsection (c)(1), an issuer or a custodian against which the Secretary has imposed a civil money penalty under subsection (a) may obtain a review of the penalty and such ancillary issues as may be addressed in the notice provided under subsection (c)(1)(A) in the appropriate court of appeals of the United States, by filing in such court, within 20 days after the entry of such order or determination, a written petition praying that the Secretary’s order or determination be modified or be set aside in whole or in part.
A court shall not consider any objection that was not raised in the hearing conducted pursuant to subsection (c)(1) unless a demonstration is made of extraordinary circumstances causing the failure to raise the objection. If any party demonstrates to the satisfaction of the court that additional evidence, which was not presented at such hearing, is material and that there were reasonable grounds for the failure to present such evidence at the hearing, the court shall remand the matter to the Secretary for consideration of such additional evidence.
The decisions, findings, and determinations of the Secretary shall be reviewed pursuant to section 706 of title 5.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court shall have the power in any such review to order payment of the penalty imposed by the Secretary.
If any issuer or custodian fails to comply with the Secretary’s determination or order imposing a civil money penalty under subsection (a), after the determination or order is no longer subject to review as provided by subsections (c)(1) and (d), the Secretary may request the Attorney General of the United States to bring an action in an appropriate United States district court to obtain a monetary judgment against the issuer or custodian and such other relief as may be available. The monetary judgment may, in the discretion of the court, include any attorneys fees and other expenses incurred by the United States in connection with the action. In an action under this subsection, the validity and appropriateness of the Secretary’s determination or order imposing the penalty shall not be subject to review.
The Secretary may compromise, modify, or remit any civil money penalty which may be, or has been, imposed under this section.
The term “knowingly” means having actual knowledge of or acting with deliberate ignorance of or reckless disregard for the prohibitions under this section.
The Secretary shall issue such regulations as the Secretary deems appropriate to implement this section.
The Secretary shall deposit all civil money penalties collected under this section into moneys of the Association pursuant to section 1722 of this title.