Federal - Executive Branch
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from the U.S. Executive Branch, covering all aspects of the Obama administration including cabinet departments, federal agencies, regulatory and independent agencies.
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USDA Reminds Producers to Pay Their Crop Insurance Premiums by January 31
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is reminding producers that their crop insurance premiums for the 2019 crop year are due January 31. Under this change, policies that do not have the premium paid by January 31, 2020, will have interest attach on February 1, calculated from the date of the premium billing notice.
USDA had deferred to January 31, 2020, the accrual of interest on 2019 crop year insurance premiums for most policies with
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency has issued the following news release:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is reminding producers that their crop insurance premiums for the 2019 crop year are due January 31. Under this change, policies that do not have the premium paid by January 31, 2020, will have interest attach on February 1, calculated from the date of the premium billing notice.
USDA had deferred to January 31, 2020, the accrual of interest on 2019 crop year insurance premiums for most policies witha premium billing date of August 15, 2019, to help the large number of farmers and ranchers affected by extreme weather in 2019.
"At USDA, we understood the challenges that farmers and ranchers faced due to inclement weather last year, so we deferred the interest to give producers additional time to pay their premium, which is now due on January 31," RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. "We urge producers to make their premium payment on time to ensure they don't get charged interest back to their premium billing notice date."
The extended interest deferral built on other steps taken by USDA to support farmers and ranchers impacted by flooding and other disasters. As of January 13, RMA has paid roughly $8.1 billion in overall claims for the 2019 crop year.
Producers are encouraged to contact their crop insurance agents for more information or assistance.
USDA Announces School and Summer Meals Reforms
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release:
Delivering on his promise to act on feedback from dietary professionals, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced two proposals that will put local school and summer food service operators back in the driver's seat of their programs, because they know their children best. Under the school meals proposed rule, school nutrition professionals have more flexibility to serve appetizing and healthy meals that appeal to their students' preferences and subsequently reduce food waste. The proposed
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release:
Delivering on his promise to act on feedback from dietary professionals, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced two proposals that will put local school and summer food service operators back in the driver's seat of their programs, because they know their children best. Under the school meals proposed rule, school nutrition professionals have more flexibility to serve appetizing and healthy meals that appeal to their students' preferences and subsequently reduce food waste. The proposedrule also encourages state and local operators to focus resources on feeding children rather than administrative paperwork. These improvements build on the 2018 reforms (https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/12/06/responding-needs-local-schools-usda-publishes-school-meals-final) that preserve strong nutrition standards while providing schools the additional flexibilities they need to best serve America's students.
"Schools and school districts continue to tell us that there is still too much food waste and that more common-sense flexibility is needed to provide students nutritious and appetizing meals. We listened and now we're getting to work," said Secretary Perdue. "Our proposed changes empower schools to give their very best to our children nationwide and have the potential to benefit nearly 100,000 schools and institutions that feed 30 million children each school day through USDA's school meal programs. Providing children with wholesome, nutritious food is part of our motto at USDA, which is to 'do right and feed everyone."
Background:
The school meals proposed rule would continue to ensure children receive wholesome, tasty meals that provide the nutrition they need to grow and thrive, while offering increased flexibilities for local school districts to serve children food they will want to eat, by:
* Allowing local schools to offer more vegetable varieties, while keeping plenty of veggies in each meal;
* Making it easier for schools to offer school lunch entrees for a la carte purchase, thereby reducing food waste;
* Providing schools options to customize meal patterns to best serve children in different grades or smaller schools who eat together;
* Supporting a more customized school breakfast environment by letting schools adjust fruit servings and making it simpler to offer meats/meat alternates, ultimately encouraging breakfast options outside the cafeteria so students can start their day with a healthy breakfast; and
* Shifting to a performance-focused administrative review process that is less burdensome and time consuming, which would increase collaboration with operators to improve program integrity.
USDA also proposed another rule with customer-focused reforms to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which serves more than 2.6 million children during the summer months, when they are at higher risk of food insecurity and poor nutrition because they do not have access to school meals. The summer feeding rule offers operators more local control to better serve children by:
* Providing more flexibilities in choosing meal offerings, meal service times, and allowing children to take certain nonperishable food items offsite;
* Granting tested and proven flexibilities that make it easier for sponsors and sites to participate by reducing paperwork and streamlining the application process for high-performing, experienced operators;
* Balancing program integrity and flexibility with stronger monitoring to help sponsors maximize their resources; and
* Clarifying performance standards and eligibility requirements for sites.
USDA remains committed to listening to and collaborating with customers, partners, and stakeholders to make these proposed reforms as effective as possible and encourages all those who are interested in school meals, summer meals, and all child nutrition programs to comment on the proposals once they publish on Regulations.gov.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people. The agency administers 15 nutrition assistance programs (https://www.fns.usda.gov/) that leverage American's agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/), which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.
Speed Must Be Put Back Into DOD, Hyten Says
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news story:
As long as he is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten said he will make sure speed is put back into every element of the Pentagon.
Inserting speed into everything the Defense Department does is a priority, the vice chairman told the Center for Strategic and International Studies today in a discussion on "the growing security challenges posed by U.S. strategic competitors."
"When you look at our competitors, large and small, one of the things you find they have in common
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news story:
As long as he is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten said he will make sure speed is put back into every element of the Pentagon.
Inserting speed into everything the Defense Department does is a priority, the vice chairman told the Center for Strategic and International Studies today in a discussion on "the growing security challenges posed by U.S. strategic competitors."
"When you look at our competitors, large and small, one of the things you find they have in commonis they're moving very, very fast. And we are not," Hyten said.
DOD has built processes over the years that by design are not built for speed, he noted. "By design, they're built to remove risk, and if you have a process designed to remove risk, you have something that is very ... bureaucratic." Strategic competitors such as China and North Korea are examples of what consistent, coherent strategies and the ability to go fast means, Hyten said.
Unlike 40 years ago, China has a powerful economy today. "China was a friend until a few years ago. China was not a great power competitor. Their military strategy was focused on countering the United States and our allies in the 1990s," the general said. "Their economic strategy is tied very tightly to their military, because every technology that's in China is available for military use."
North Korea is also going fast and is the 115th most powerful economy in world out of more than 190 nations, he said, adding that their ballistic missiles and nuclear missiles have seen more success than before.
"If you want to go fast in the missile business, you need to test fast, fly fast, learn fast," Hyten said. "North Korea learned from their failures, they changed systems and subsystems, and ... North Korea has been building new missiles, new capabilities, new weapons as fast as anybody on the planet."
Speed itself is efficiency, and speed builds capability and puts savings into programs, he said.
"But you have to be able to accept failure. And if the dictator of North Korea has learned how to accept failure, why can't the United States learn how to accept failure?" Hyten said.
The United States needs to understand what failures are and learn from them by moving quickly from those mistakes, he said.
"I look back at hypersonics, and we're now in a significant competition with a number of competitors around the world," he said as an example.
The nation was ahead in hypersonics a decade ago when the two programs failed. We instituted multiyear studies into the failure process, and then cancelled the program, Hyten said, adding, "That's not how you go fast."
Every time we have a launch failure, we stop for years at a time to recover, he said.
"With a $700 billion defense budget, we should be able to create the environment of peace in the world. To do that, we have to compete in the world and that means we have to go fast again."
- Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
If we don't have human life involved, we have to figure out how to go fast, how to adjust, how to learn quickly, how to move fast. "And we have to do that across our entire enterprise, and we're not doing that," the general said, adding that we must learn to take risks.
"The commercial sector is starting to lead the world in many areas. Were starting to embrace that, but not fully yet. We've got to embrace the elements of this country that are going fast, where we know how to do things," he said.
Commercially, we're the leader in information technology in the world, "but we haven't learned how to do that in the DOD. ... We have to allow people in acquisition to take risks and not delegate the responsibilities to the people who are executing programs," the general said.
But DOD is making progress in acquisitions and through the military services. "Now we have to align the rest of the department to those initiatives and take advantage of it," Hyten said.
"We should be able to protect ourselves against any threat. We should be able to deter any adversary from taking action against us," the vice chairman said.
"With a $700 billion defense budget, we should be able to create the environment of peace in the world. To do that, we have to compete in the world and that means we have to go fast again," Hyten said.
ICE Acting Director Albence Issues Remarks on Detainers Issues
NEW YORK, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division issued the following remarks on Jan. 17 by Acting Director Matthew T. Albence on detainers issues:
Before I begin, I want to send my condolences to the family and friends of Maria Fuertes, a 92-year-old woman who was recently raped and murdered here in New York City by an illegal alien that ICE could've arrested if not for the city's policies.
As a law enforcement officer, we work every day to ensure the safety of those in the communities we serve, and there is no worse feeling than when
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division issued the following remarks on Jan. 17 by Acting Director Matthew T. Albence on detainers issues:
Before I begin, I want to send my condolences to the family and friends of Maria Fuertes, a 92-year-old woman who was recently raped and murdered here in New York City by an illegal alien that ICE could've arrested if not for the city's policies.
As a law enforcement officer, we work every day to ensure the safety of those in the communities we serve, and there is no worse feeling than whenthose innocent citizens you are sworn to protect are needlessly harmed.
I also want to introduce the gentlemen onstage with me; to my right is Thomas Decker, the field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations here in New York City. To my left I have some gentlemen from the New York PD Sergeants Benevolent Association; Vincent Vallelong, Mike Peruggia, Edmond Small, and Paul Capitosto. They'll be available to answer any questions after this event, if you'd like to speak with them as well.
As much as I like New York City I've got to tell you I hate that I'm here right now. As a 25 year law enforcement professional it is unbelievable that I have to come here and plead with the city of New York to cooperate with us to help keep this city safe. And unfortunately, it's not a new battle. Myself and others within ICE and DHS, both in this administration and the last, have been trying for the better part of a decade to get the city to cooperate with ICE in furtherance of our shared public safety mission.
Time and time again our efforts and our warnings of the disastrous consequences of non-cooperation and even outright interference have gone unheeded, resulting in tragedies such as this one. Countless victims whose lives were forever scarred at the hands of illegal criminal aliens. And as long as politicians continue to put their own self-interests over those they have sworn to protect, and frankly those who actually put them in office, this tragic situation will be repeated again and again. Make no mistake - it is this city's sanctuary policies that are the sole reason this criminal was allowed to roam the streets freely and end an innocent woman's life.
So here I am again, pleading with the people of New York City and all of the sanctuary cities in this country, let ICE help you. Let us help you keep your community safe. We can actually prevent crimes such as these brutal sexual offenses and murders like we saw here this past week. These policies, plain and simple, both here and elsewhere in the country, make all of us less safe, which is the opposite of what the primary goal of every law enforcement officer, every law enforcement agency and every elected official should be.
Strong local partnerships and reliable cooperation are vital to successful law enforcement. Ask these cops up here. As a career law enforcer professional, it's beyond frustrating to know that victims and communities across this country and in this city continue to suffer at the hands of criminals because those politicians choose to put politics over public safety.
I'm going to open it up to some questions, but before I do, I want to lay out some facts surrounding this issue and dispel a lot of the misinformation continuing to be promoted by many in the media and many politicians. First and foremost, I'm going to explain to you what an ICE detainer really is. ICE issues detainers to advise local law enforcement partners that we have established probable cause to believe an individual who has already been arrested by that law enforcement agency for a criminal offense and sitting in their jail is an alien who is subject to removal from this country under United States federal law.
ICE issues detainers and makes arrests based on probable cause. The exact same standard the NYPD and every other law enforcement agency in this country must adhere to when they make arrests for the crimes they are sworn to enforce. When we issue a detainer, we are simply asking to be notified prior to that alien's release, and for our law enforcement partners to hold that individual for a brief period of time so that ICE may assume custody and prevent the release of that criminal back to the community. In many cases, especially in large metropolitan areas like New York where our officers are concentrated, if the law enforcement agency gives us enough notice before the individual is released, we'll be there before they even roll over on that detainer.
And for those who obfuscate this issue by saying they don't want their officers asking immigration status and enforcing federal immigration law, like I saw the mayor's office say yesterday, let me put that false narrative to bed right here and now; we aren't asking you to. When we lodge a detainer, we have already made that probable cause determination. We are the ones making the enforcement action. All you need to do is call us before you release them. A phone call. One simple phone call, and Maria Fuertes could be alive today.
There are also going to be those who try to deflect criticism for these policies by stating that they would honor the ICE detainer if accompanied by a judicial warrant. Individuals who make this claim are either willfully ignorant of the law or are patently disingenuous. ICE does not need a judicial warrant to issue a detainer or to make an arrest.
To be perfectly clear, not only do we not need one, we can't even get one. There is not a federal judge, state judge, local judge, or magistrate anywhere in this country who has the lawful authority to issue a judicial warrant for a civil immigration violation. It's just not doable. The system set up by Congress gives that authority solely to supervisory immigration officers and that is the framework under which we operate.
What many of these politicians also decline to mention is that their officers make warrantless arrests based on probable cause every single day. When they respond to a domestic disturbance, or they respond to someone selling drugs on the street corner, they're not going down to the courthouse and getting a warrant for that individual and coming back because, guess what? He's not going to be there. Law enforcement make warrantless probable cause arrests every single day, as do we.
Let's also be clear about who we are lodging detainers against. As I mentioned previously these individuals are already sitting in another law enforcement agency's custody because they were arrested for a criminal violation. These are often serious, violent offenses. Yet this city's policy actually thwarts ICE from exercising its statutory authority for the protection of you and your neighbors. Unfortunately, this incongruent application of laws often results in senseless, tragic victimization such as we saw this week.
These are preventable crimes, people, and more importantly, preventable victims. Most times, we don't even know that criminal aliens are being released because these sanctuary jurisdictions won't even tell us. You know how we find out one of the criminal aliens we lodged detainer against was released? Usually it's when they get arrested again and their fingerprints bounce off the FBI's database and comes to us. We've seen recidivism rates as high as 50 percent in some of the areas in which we operate. Last year ICE lodged 7,526 detainers by our New York bureau field office. I know this PD has put out stats that are about half of that, probably because the other half of the detainers we lodged they didn't even pay attention to, they probably just put them in the shredder.
The criminals against who these detainers were lodged accounted for 17,873 criminal convictions and another 6,500 criminal charges. The crimes these individuals have been convicted or charged with included 200 homicides, over 500 robberies, over 1,000 sexual offences, over 1,000 weapons offenses, over 3,500 assaults and over 1,500 DUIs. I'll say it again, and I'll say it until I'm blue in the face. There should be nothing political about removing dangerous recidivist criminals from our streets.
It's incredibly unfortunate that there are those who value their own political self-interest over the safety and security of their constituents. It's utterly senseless. Those of you who do not know very much about sanctuary city policies, I encourage you to educate yourself fully about this issue. The facts speak for themselves as unfortunately this country is rife with tragic examples of senseless, preventable deaths. Deaths that even include cops.
Those who politicize this issue want you to believe that you have to choose between being an immigrant-friendly city and being one that cooperates with ICE. Again, that is simply false. The only immigrants protected by such policies are those committing violent and dangerous offenses, often in the same communities these politicians are purporting to protect. This is a commonsense, public safety issue. Period.
For those who think sanctuary policies will keep ICE out of their communities, nothing could be further from the truth. ICE is mandated by Congress to enforce immigration laws of this country and we will continue to do so regardless of the opposition from those who hold no allegiance to the law. On the contrary, sanctuary city policies leave ICE with no reasonable alternative but to increase enforcement in neighborhoods, workplaces, and the general public.
Strained law enforcement resources place the officers and the community at risk and ultimately result in fewer criminals being removed from our streets. Despite these challenges, it's our duty to all of you to enforce laws passed by Congress and we are not going to stop fighting to keep your community safe regardless of whatever obstacles are placed in our path.
One other common myth is that ICE performs random enforcement actions, random sweeps, or raids, as the media likes to call them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Seventy percent of the people that ICE arrests for immigration violations come to us directly from another law enforcement agency, as thankfully, the vast majority of law enforcement agencies in this country cooperate with us. Nearly nine out of 10 people that we arrest are convicted criminals of a pending criminal charge or immigration fugitives, meaning they've already had their day in immigration court and been ordered removed by an immigration judge and have failed to comply with that lawfully issued judge's order, or illegal reentrants, meaning they've been deported previously have come back illegally again which is a federal felony, and one we prosecute 7,000 times a year.
Another myth that I'll address, which shouldn't even be a myth after you've heard what I have said already, is that ICE only arrests minor offenders. That's completely false. Nothing could be further from the truth. In FY 19 we arrested 123,000 people convicted of, or charged with, criminal offenses, and these criminals accounted for almost 500,000 convictions and criminal charges, to include 1,900 homicides 10,000 sexual offenses, 1,800 kidnappings, 45,000 assaults, 74,000 DUIs, 67,000 drug-related offenses, and 8,000 gang members.
One final point that I will address is what happens to an alien once ICE arrests them. Unlike some would have you believe, they are not whisked off in the middle of the night never to be heard from again. Unless they are a fugitive, and have already had their day in court, an arrest by ICE is just the start of the process. Just as if the individuals were arrested by NYPD or any other law enforcement agency in this country, there is a defined process in which the individual has the right to a hearing before a judge with the Executive Office of Immigration Review within the Department of Justice.
They have the right to present evidence on their behalf. They can be represented by counsel. They have the ability to apply for asylum and any other form of relief of removal, of which there are many. If they don't like the ruling of the judge, they can appeal it. They can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. Circuit Court, or ultimately the Supreme Court. But, at the end of that process, if the judge has ordered them removed and that removal order has been upheld through whatever appellate process the individual has availed himself of, it is ICE's sworn duty to execute that removal order. ICE must enforce the laws and rulings from an immigration judge just like any other law enforcement agency must enforce the laws of their respective jurisdictions and judges.
We are the most generous immigration system in the world and the Congress has established a robust process through which one can apply to remain here in the country even when they are here illegally. That is something to be proud of as a nation of laws. However in order to be a nation of laws at the end of that process an order from a judge must mean something, if the rule of law is to mean anything. No other law enforcement agency anywhere in this country is being asked to ignore duly issued, lawful orders from a federal judge. We cannot and we will not shirk our congressionally mandated responsibilities.
I'll answer your questions, but I want to point to these two things on stage right here and show what they represent. So this poster over here, these are individuals where we know the detainers were declined, and they're back out on the street.
You can look at the crimes they were charged for: attempted robbery, first degree assault, second degree assault, assault causing personal injury and criminal obstruction. Here, these are ones that are in jail now. These are ones that NYPD arrested recently. For the guy in the bottom center, looks familiar. These are ones who can be released. So get to know their faces now because New York's not going to cooperate with us. So at some point they'll be back in your communities, whether it's before they get sentenced for their conviction, or even afterwards.
I got a case here that I just saw, that the great officers in this office arrested a couple weeks ago. Individual got convicted for sexual assault on an 11-year-old-kid. We told the Department of Corrections we wanted that individual. They didn't care. They released him. We went out and arrested him. So he's off the streets. So I'll say it again. We are going to do everything we can to protect these communities in which we operate. I hope the politicians in those communities join us, and find a way to work with us, to do the same.
I'll answer your questions now. Thank you.
Garrison-Presidio of Monterey Welcomes New Senior Enlisted Leader
MONTEREY, California, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Army Garrison-Presidio of Monterey issued the following news release:
The Presidio of Monterey welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. Robert N. Londers as the garrison's new senior enlisted advisor during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Weckerling Center, Jan. 10. He replaces Command Sgt. Maj. Roberto Marshall who is retiring after 28 years of service.
"I want to say thank you to all of my former teammates, friends that I've served with and my mentors. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them," said Londers. "Now it's time to reinvest their energies
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MONTEREY, California, Jan. 18 -- The U.S. Army Garrison-Presidio of Monterey issued the following news release:
The Presidio of Monterey welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. Robert N. Londers as the garrison's new senior enlisted advisor during a change of responsibility ceremony at the Weckerling Center, Jan. 10. He replaces Command Sgt. Maj. Roberto Marshall who is retiring after 28 years of service.
"I want to say thank you to all of my former teammates, friends that I've served with and my mentors. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them," said Londers. "Now it's time to reinvest their energiesinto this installation and this community."
Londers joins the Presidio after serving as the senior enlisted advisor of the 102nd Signal Battalion in Landstuhl, Germany. Prior to his latest stint in Germany, his career has spanned the globe with assignments in the United States, Korea and Kuwait.
Garrison Commander Col. Greg Ford, Marshall and Londers took part in the traditional passing of the unit colors - a symbolic transfer of responsibility between the two senior enlisted leaders.
"Today as always in our business is a bittersweet day," said Ford during the ceremony. "It is bitter because we see the departure of a phenomenal command sergeant major who has made a positive impact in everything he's done, but it is sweet because you welcome another equally phenomenal command sergeant major who is excited and ready to continue those efforts."
Marshall steps into retirement after 28 years on active duty and 16 years at the highest enlisted rank of sergeant major, including his final three years at the Presidio of Monterey.
"The last 40 months have been very rewarding," said Marshall.
"Everybody from the garrison team will forever have a special place in my heart."
The Presidio's new command sergeant major expressed his thanks for the warm reception he has received.
"You have given me the keys to the castle and I truly appreciate it," Londers said. "I'm humbled and blessed to have this opportunity to serve."
Fannie Mae Multifamily Closes 2019 With Record Volume of More Than $70 Billion
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Fannie Mae issued the following corporate news release:
Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) provided more than $70 billion in financing to support the multifamily market in 2019, the highest volume in the history of its Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS(R)) program. Fannie Mae continues to build a broad and diverse investor base, while providing financing that meets the needs of our customers in all multifamily market segments in the United States.
"Our DUS program is well positioned to support the secondary market and play a key role as a stable source of liquidity for rental
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Fannie Mae issued the following corporate news release:
Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) provided more than $70 billion in financing to support the multifamily market in 2019, the highest volume in the history of its Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS(R)) program. Fannie Mae continues to build a broad and diverse investor base, while providing financing that meets the needs of our customers in all multifamily market segments in the United States.
"Our DUS program is well positioned to support the secondary market and play a key role as a stable source of liquidity for rentalhousing and underserved communities," said Jeffery Hayward, Executive Vice President of Multifamily, Fannie Mae. "Our goal is to build a profitable and sustainable book of business while continuing to provide support for the market."
Fannie Mae's Green mortgage-backed securities (MBS) issuances increased 13 percent to $22.8 billion in 2019, totaling $75 billion since the program's inception in 2010. Fannie Mae Green MBS can be backed by green certified properties or properties targeting a significant reduction in energy or water consumption.
Fannie Mae broadened the sources of liquidity available to the market in 2019 with its Multifamily Credit Risk Transfer (MCRT) program, which mitigates credit risk by transferring a portion of its risk to reinsurers and investors and increasing the role of private capital in the multifamily market.
"We want to thank our DUS lender partners for an outstanding 2019. Together, we supported all market segments and built a portfolio of mission-rich business," said Rob Levin, Senior Vice President for Multifamily Customer Engagement, Fannie Mae. "Our Multifamily Affordable Housing volume rose over 20 percent to $7.2 billion, demonstrating our firm commitment to the preservation of affordable housing for families across the country."
The following top 10 DUS Lenders produced the highest business volumes in 2019. Also listed below are the Top 5 Lender rankings for highest volumes in 2019 for Multifamily Affordable Housing, Small Loans, Green Financing, Seniors Housing, Structured Transactions, Manufactured Housing Communities, and Student Housing:
Top 10 Producers in 2019 Volume ($Billion)
1. Walker & Dunlop, LLC $8.5
2. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc. $7.2
3. Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital $6.6
4. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC $5.8
5. Greystone Servicing Company LLC $5.6
6. PGIM Real Estate Finance $5.0
7. Capital One, National Association $4.4
8. KeyBank National Association $3.5
9. Arbor Commercial Funding I, LLC $3.3
10. Newmark Knight Frank $3.1
Top 5 DUS Producers for Multifamily Affordable Housing in 2019
1. Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital
2. Greystone Servicing Company LLC
3. Jones Lang LaSalle Multifamily, LLC
4. KeyBank National Association
5. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc.
Top 5 DUS Producers for Small Loans in 20191
1. Arbor Commercial Funding I, LLC
2. Greystone Servicing Company LLC
3. Hunt Real Estate Capital
4. Walker & Dunlop, LLC
5. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC
Top 5 DUS Producers for Green Financing in 20192
1. Walker & Dunlop, LLC
2. Greystone Servicing Company LLC
3. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc.
4. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC
5. M&T Realty Capital Corporation
Top 5 DUS Producers for Seniors Housing in 2019
1. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc.
2. Capital One, National Association
3. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC
4. M&T Realty Capital Corporation
5. PNC Real Estate
Top 5 DUS Producers for Structured Transactions in 2019
1. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc.
2. Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital
3. Capital One, National Association
4. PGIM Real Estate Finance
5. KeyBank National Association
Top 5 DUS Producers for Manufactured Housing Communities in 2019
1. Walker & Dunlop, LLC
2. PNC Real Estate
3. Hunt Real Estate Capital
4. Bellwether Enterprise Real Estate Capital, LLC
5. Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital
Top 5 DUS Producers for Student Housing in 2019
1. Capital One, National Association
2. Walker & Dunlop, LLC
3. Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, LLC
4. CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc.
5. PGIM Real Estate Finance
Listed below are 2019 production highlights for individual business categories, which are included in the total multifamily production number.
* Affordable Housing - $7.8 billion, comprised of $7.2 billion in Multifamily Affordable Housing (for rent-restricted properties and properties receiving other federal and state subsidies), an increase of 21 percent from $6.0 billion in 2018; and $629 million for properties with rent restrictions between 60 percent and 80 percent area median income
* Small Loans1 - $4.8 billion
* Green Financing2 - $22.8 billion, an increase of 13 percent from $20.1 billion in 2018
* Student Housing - $2.7 billion
* Structured Transactions - $8.6 billion
* Seniors Housing - $3.1 billion, an increase of 35 percent from $2.3 billion in 2018
* Manufactured Housing Communities - $2.5 billion
1Small Loans are defined as loans of $6 million or less nationwide and loans for properties with 5-50 units.
2Green Loans are defined as loans for properties with Green Building Certifications or loans targeting a 30 percent reduction or more in energy or water consumption, inclusive of at least 15 percent energy reduction consumption.
Due to rounding, amounts reported may not add up to overall totals.
* * *
Fannie Mae helps make the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and affordable rental housing possible for millions of Americans. We partner with lenders to create housing opportunities for families across the country. We are driving positive changes in housing finance to make the home buying process easier, while reducing costs and risk. To learn more, visit fanniemae.com and follow us on twitter.com/FannieMae.
FERC Issues Weekly Digest for Jan. 13-17, 2020
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
Commission meetings and hearings
On January 14, the Commission met in executive session. (https://www.fec.gov/updates/january-14-2020-executive-session/)
Outreach
On January 15, Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub discussed Commission operations and campaign finance law with students from the Washington Center.
Also on January 15, Commissioner Weintraub discussed the role and work of the Commission with a delegation from Indonesia visiting the United States as part of the State Department's International
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
Commission meetings and hearings
On January 14, the Commission met in executive session. (https://www.fec.gov/updates/january-14-2020-executive-session/)
Outreach
On January 15, Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub discussed Commission operations and campaign finance law with students from the Washington Center.
Also on January 15, Commissioner Weintraub discussed the role and work of the Commission with a delegation from Indonesia visiting the United States as part of the State Department's InternationalVisitor Leadership Program.
On January 17, Commissioner Weintraub spoke at a symposium on foreign interference in U.S. elections and the role of campaign finance law. The event took place at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in Columbus, OH, and was sponsored by the Ohio State Technology Law Journal.
Upcoming reporting due dates
January 31, 2020: Year-End Reports are due. For more information on the Year-End Report, see the 2019 Quarterly (https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/2019-reporting-dates/2019-quarterly-filers/) and Semi-Annual (https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/2019-reporting-dates/2019-semi-annual-report-deadlines-pacs-party-committees/) reporting pages of the Commission website. For information on the filing schedule this year, see the 2020 reporting dates page. (https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/)
Upcoming educational programs
January 22, 2020: The Commission will host reporting webinars (https://www.fec.gov/updates/fec-host-year-end-reporting-and-fecfile-webinars-2020/) for candidate committees.
February 25-26, 2020: The Commission will host a regional conference (https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/trainings/2020_san_antonio_conference/) in San Antonio, TX for candidates, political party committees, and political action committees.
Additional research materials
Federal Elections 2018: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is available (https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/election-and-voting-information/federal-elections-2018/). The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices. To order a printed copy, please contact the FEC's Public Records Office at 800/424-9530 (option 2) or 202/694-1120, or send an email to pubrec@fec.gov.
FEC Notify (https://fecnotify.fec.gov/fecnotify/login/): Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here. (https://fecnotify.fec.gov/fecnotify/login/)
Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section (https://transition.fec.gov/general/library.shtml) of the Commission website.
Printed copies of the 2019 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title11/11cfrv1_02.tpl) are available. Contact the Commission's Information Division at (202) 694-1100 or (800) 424-9530 (press 6, when prompted) to order printed copies of the CFR at no charge. You may also email the Information Division to place an order at info@fec.gov.
The 2019 Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory (https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/how-to-research-public-records/combined-federalstate-disclosure-and-election-directory/) is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings. To order a printed copy, please contact the FEC's Public Records Office at 800/424-9530 (option 2) or 202/694-1120, or send an email to pubrec@fec.gov.
The FEC Record (https://www.fec.gov/updates/?update_type=fec-record) is available as a continuously updated online news source.
Other election-related resources
Videos on protecting U.S. elections (https://www.fbi.gov/protectedvoices). The FBI's Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.
Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube
Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand (https://www.youtube.com/user/FECTube), to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency's logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.
