usc 12 § 4563

Multifamily special affordable housing goal (BANKS AND BANKING (12 U.S.C.))

In Force
Verified 9/13/2026 · Next check 10/13/2026
effective 9/13/2026FederalAffordable Housing Programs

Operative Text

usc 12 § 4563
The Director shall, by regulation, establish a single annual goal, by either unit or dollar volume, of purchases by each enterprise of mortgages on multifamily housing that finance dwelling units affordable to low-income families.

When establishing the goal under this section, the Director shall establish additional requirements for the purchase by each enterprise of mortgages on multifamily housing that finance dwelling units affordable to very low-income families.

The Director shall require each enterprise to report on the purchase by each enterprise of multifamily housing of a smaller or limited size that is affordable to low-income families, which may be based on multifamily projects of 5 to 50 units (as such numbers may be adjusted by the Director) or on mortgages of up to $5,000,000 (as such amount may be adjusted by the Director), and may, by regulation, establish such aditional  requirements related to such units.

In establishing the goal and additional requirements under this section, the Director shall not consider segments of the market determined to be inconsistent with safety and soundness or unauthorized for purchase by the enterprises, and shall take into consideration—

national multifamily mortgage credit needs and the ability of the enterprise to provide additional liquidity and stability for the multifamily mortgage market;

the performance and effort of the enterprise in making mortgage credit available for multifamily housing in previous years;

the size of the multifamily mortgage market for housing affordable to low-income and very low-income families, including the size of the multifamily markets for housing of a smaller or limited size;

the ability of the enterprise to lead the market in making multifamily mortgage credit available, especially for multifamily housing described in paragraphs (1) and (2);

the availability of public subsidies; and

the need to maintain the sound financial condition of the enterprise.

The Director shall give full credit toward the achievement of the multifamily special affordable housing goal under this section (for purposes of ) to dwelling units in multifamily housing that otherwise qualifies under such goal and that is financed by tax-exempt or taxable bonds issued by a State or local housing finance agency, if such bonds, in whole or in part—

are secured by a guarantee of the enterprise; or

are purchased by the enterprise, except that the Director may give less than full credit for purchases of investment grade bonds, to the extent that such purchases do not provide a new market or add liquidity to an existing market.

The Director shall monitor the performance of each enterprise in meeting the goals established under this section and shall evaluate such performance (for purposes of ) based on whether the rent levels are affordable. A rent level shall be considered to be affordable for purposes of this subsection for low-income families if it does not exceed 30 percent of the maximum income level of such income category, with appropriate adjustments for unit size as measured by the number of bedrooms.

The Director shall determine, for each year that the housing goal under this section is in effect pursuant to , whether each enterprise has complied with such goal and the additional requirements under subsection (a)(2).
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under 12 U.S.C. § 4563, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency is required to set annual targets for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the "enterprises") tied to their purchases of mortgages on multifamily housing that serves low-income and very low-income families. The rule also establishes a framework for evaluating affordability, treating a rent as affordable when it does not exceed 30 percent of the maximum income threshold for the relevant income category, adjusted for unit size. Additional reporting requirements apply to smaller multifamily properties, and the Director must annually assess whether each enterprise has met its goals while accounting for factors such as market conditions, prior performance, and the enterprises' financial soundness.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 13, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Owners and operators of multifamily rental properties should be aware that 12 U.S.C. § 4563 shapes the secondary mortgage market by directing the enterprises to prioritize purchasing loans on properties that serve low- and very low-income households. Compliant operators in this space generally document the affordability profile of their units and understand how rent levels relative to area income limits affect whether their properties qualify under these goals. Familiarity with how bond financing from state or local housing finance agencies interacts with enterprise credit under § 4563 can also be relevant when structuring financing for affordable multifamily projects.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

For tenants living in or seeking affordable multifamily housing, 12 U.S.C. § 4563 reflects a federal policy framework designed to encourage mortgage market support for housing affordable to low- and very low-income families. The provision's affordability benchmark — rents not exceeding 30 percent of the applicable income category maximum, adjusted for bedroom size — is the standard the Director uses when evaluating enterprise performance, which can influence the availability of financing for the type of housing tenants rely on. Tenants who believe their housing situation involves questions about affordability standards or federally backed financing may find it useful to consult a tenant-rights organization or a HUD-approved housing counselor for general guidance on how these market-level rules connect to their circumstances.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Sep 13, 2026
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Related Rules

§ 1437
Declaration of policy and public housing agency organization
§ 5.100
§ 5.100 Definitions.
§ 5.107
§ 5.107 Audit requirements for non-profit organizations.

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