Group represents more than 2,000 member companies
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
As the Senate Banking Committee prepares to mark up the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has submitted a formal letter expressing support for the bill’s general framework while offering targeted recommendations on several provisions.
“MBA supports this proposal designed to address the nation’s housing affordability challenges,” wrote Bill Killmer, MBA’s senior vice president for legislative and political affairs. “These problems demand the focused attention of Congress and the federal agencies that regulate key aspects of the housing ecosystem.”
The trade group, representing over 2,000 member companies in real estate finance, said it supports bipartisan efforts to increase housing supply and improve access to affordable housing. The letter included detailed comments on specific sections of the bill, known as the ROAD to Housing Act.
MBA backed multiple proposals, including Section 203, which would require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop best practice frameworks for zoning and land use. Section 208, intended to streamline environmental reviews for small and infill housing projects, was described as a way to “accelerate the start of construction work on housing projects.”
MBA also supported Section 211, which amends the Capital Investment Grants program to reward areas that adopt pro-housing policies near public transportation.
Section 213, the Housing Affordability Act, would mandate HUD and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to assess multifamily loan limits and create an adjustment index. MBA noted it “grants HUD rulemaking authority, with FHA input, to adjust those limits to better match housing market conditions and costs.”
The group also endorsed provisions focused on small-dollar mortgage access. Section 401 directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to study the impact of loan originator compensation on availability, and Section 402 tasks CFPB and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) with reviewing “points and fees” regulations.
MBA reiterated support for Section 503, which reforms the USDA’s Rural Housing Service loan program. “Updating and reauthorizing RHS programs is an important part of a comprehensive strategy needed to meet the nationwide shortage in access to affordable housing,” the letter stated.
However, MBA recommended clarifying the applicability of loan assumptions and allowing servicers to charge fees for transaction costs.
The organization raised concerns about Section 705, the Appraisal Modernization Act, saying it “mandates specific appraisal processes that will limit the ability of lenders, based on their operational structures, to best serve their customers.” MBA argued that codifying procedures under the Truth in Lending Act “creates significant new liability for lenders making good faith efforts to comply with the ROV process.”
MBA also expressed reservations regarding Sections 601 and 602, which aim to raise borrower awareness of VA loan options. “While MBA welcomes enhanced awareness of all loan options... this modification will be costly to implement and is unlikely to result in any additional VA loan awareness or issuance,” the letter stated. MBA added that lenders already ask for military service information during application.
The letter concluded with a call to advance the bill. “MBA and its members support the favorable reporting of the ROAD to Housing package to advance these bipartisan housing priorities,” Killmer wrote. “We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with you, your staff, and other stakeholders to further refine and improve the proposal.”
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