“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” Jochen Zeitz How is the topic of energy efficiency in new single-family homes addressed in the mortgage industry? What pillars of ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) are at play in this system, and who are the players? We are joined on today’s podcast by Simone Beaty who is the Director of Housing Policy with Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac was chartered by Congress in 1970 to support the U.S. housing finance system and to help ensure a reliable and affordable supply of mortgage funds across the country. Freddie Mac operates in the U.S. secondary mortgage market, buying loans that meet their standards from approved lenders. Freddie Mac then pools the mortgages it buys into securities, which they sell to investors around the world. Drawing on her in-depth experience in the financial services industry and strong finance-related skills in housing policy strategies, Simone explains how Single-Family Green Mortgage Backed Securities support Freddie Mac’s focus on financing energy efficiency in new and existing single-family homes. These activities help to preserve home affordability over time and attract capital to promote sustainable activities through mortgage financing. Simone shares with us, data, statistics, and trends on topics such as remodeling and repairs, work from home impact, and solar installations. She describes the criteria necessary for qualifying mortgages including the minimum HERS® score. She notes the important impact of the increase in HERS® ratings and how this helps more builders relate to more consumers the ties to sustainability that come from Home Energy Ratings. To learn more about FreddieMac’s Single Family Green Bonds go to this link: https://capitalmarkets.freddiemac.com/mbs/green-sfmbs Or download this framework document: https://capitalmarkets.freddiemac.com/mbs/docs/Freddie_Mac_SF_Green_Bond_Framework.pdf Listen to the full episode here.
