--Todd Hoepker, senior vice president, strategy and market development at $122 million NARFE Premier Federal Credit Union on its investment program's ongoing mission to meet the unique needs of its sponsor, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.
"We don't vacillate. We don't get in a lending game one month and get out the next because we get hit with a repo or two. We had our ALM service do an extensive historical look at our loans and look at each credit bucket and how that grouping has performed. By and large, some people will get you, but majority will not, and it's at a great yield. C and D paper members do intend to repay, but some have bad habits or run into bad circumstances. It happens. It's only a car loan, move on."
--Wayne Vann president/CEO Navy Army Federal Credit Union
"Turning the corner on the housing correction requires homebuyers to return to the market, and homebuyers need available and affordable mortgage financing. Housing is not only important to our economy; it is also the largest factor currently impacting our financial markets. The sooner we work through the housing correction, the sooner home prices will stabilize, and uncertainty about the values of mortgage-related assets will be more easily determined. So now, more than ever, we need Fannie and Freddie out there, financing mortgages. That means we must, in the short term, take steps to boost confidence in the GSEs, while also taking steps to address the potential systemic risk they pose. My views on their structure are well known - they are an odd construct, with a difficult dual mandate to serve both a public mission and private shareholders. The GSEs are providing an essential function when they securitize and guarantee high-quality mortgages. This attracts capital into mortgage markets and lowers borrowing costs for homebuyers. ''
--Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson commenting on Congress' consideration of the housing bill, specifically the provisions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
