REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 22 OF 1950
Eff. Sept. 7, 1950, 15 F.R. 4365, 64 Stat. 1277
Prepared by the President and transmitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled, May 9, 1950, pursuant to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949, approved June 20, 1949 [see 5 U.S.C. 901 et seq.].
FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION
Section 1. Transfer of Association and Its Functions
The Federal National Mortgage Association, together with its functions, is hereby transferred from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the Housing and Home Finance Agency and shall be administered subject to the direction and control of the Housing and Home Finance Administrator.
Sec. 2. Transfers to the Housing Administrator
There are hereby transferred from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the Housing and Home Finance Administrator-
(1) the notes of the Federal National Mortgage Association payable to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation;
(2) the capital stock of the Federal National Mortgage Association;
(3) the function of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of making payments on its notes issued to the Secretary of the Treasury in an amount equal to (a) the unpaid principal of, and accrued interest on, the notes of the Federal National Mortgage Association transferred under (1) above, (b) any funds of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation transferred under the provisions of section 5 hereof, (c) the book value of any office furniture and equipment of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation transferred under the provisions of section 5 hereof, and (d) the par value of the capital stock of the Federal National Mortgage Association plus the amount of its surplus paid in by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation;
(4) the function of issuing notes or other obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury, which may be purchased by the Secretary, under section 7 of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, as amended [15 U.S.C. 606], in an amount not in excess of that necessary to finance at any one time the outstanding balances of the investments, loans, and purchases held by the Federal National Mortgage Association, taking into consideration other balance-sheet items;
(5) except as otherwise provided in this reorganization plan, all other functions of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (including functions of the Board of Directors of such Corporation and functions of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of such Corporation) with respect to the Federal National Mortgage Association; and
(6) all functions of the Federal Housing Commissioner with respect to the Federal National Mortgage Association.
Sec. 3. Board of Directors and Officers
Functions with respect to serving, including eligibility to serve, as members of the Board of Directors of the Federal National Mortgage Association and as officers of such Association are hereby transferred from the members of the Board of Directors of, and from the officers and employees of, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the officers and employees of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (including those of the constituent agencies of the Housing and Home Finance Agency).
Sec. 4. Performance of Functions of Administrator
The Housing and Home Finance Administrator may from time to time make such provisions as he shall deem appropriate authorizing the performance by any other officer, or by any agency or employee, of the Housing and Home Finance Agency of any function transferred to such Administrator by the provisions of this reorganization plan.
Sec. 5. Transfer of Records, Property, Personnel, and Funds
There are hereby transferred with the functions transferred by this reorganization plan, respectively, all of the assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, and unexpended balances of authorizations, allocations and other funds, available or to be made available, of the Federal National Mortgage Association, and so much of the assets, liabilities, contracts, property, records, personnel, and unexpended balances of authorizations, allocations, and other funds, available or to be made available, of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and relating to functions transferred by the provisions of this reorganization plan, as the Director of the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to be necessary for the administration of such functions, excluding, however, (1) the members of the Board of Directors of the Federal National Mortgage Association in office immediately prior to the taking effect of the provisions of this reorganization plan, and (2) the officers of the Association then in office. Such further measures and dispositions as the Director of the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to be necessary in order to effectuate the transfers provided for in this section shall be carried out in such manner as the Director shall direct and by such agencies as he shall designate.
Sec. 6. Effective Date
The provisions of this reorganization plan shall take effect 60 days after they would take effect under section 6(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949 in the absence of this section.
[Housing and Home Finance Agency lapsed and functions were transferred to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, see section 9(c) of
Message of the President
To the Congress of the United States:
I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 22 of 1950, prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949. The plan improves the grouping of Government programs according to their major purposes by transferring the Federal National Mortgage Association from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to the Housing and Home Finance Agency. This reorganization carries out the specific recommendation of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government that "The Federal National Mortgage Association be placed under the Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency."
At present, the Federal National Mortgage Association, a wholly owned Government corporation, is a subsidiary of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Its purpose is to provide a secondary market for home mortgages insured or guaranteed by other Government agencies through the purchase, service, and sale of such mortgages. In addition, it is authorized to make direct loans for housing in Alaska. As of the end of March 1950 its total holdings were approximately a billion dollars and its outstanding commitments to purchase were more than $1,400,000,000 in addition. Such a volume of activity has an obvious impact on the Government's entire housing program.
The Congress has long recognized that the function of such a secondary mortgage market is closely related to the entire housing program. The Federal National Mortgage Association originally was chartered by the head of the Federal Housing Administration as authorized by title III of the National Housing Act. In rechartering the Federal National Mortgage Association 2 years ago the Congress recognized the relationship between it and the operations of the Housing and Home Finance Agency by providing that the Federal Housing Commissioner alone would have authority to determine whether and when the Federal National Mortgage Association should be terminated. This act also required submission of semiannual reports to the Federal Housing Commissioner and for the transmittal by him of these reports to the Congress together with his recommendations thereon.
Nearly 3 years ago the Congress approved the establishment of the Housing and Home Finance Agency under an Administrator who could be held responsible by the President and the Congress for the general coordination and supervision of Federal housing programs placed in the Housing Agency at that time. The Federal National Mortgage Association was not then made a part of the Housing Agency because the provisions of section 5(e) of the reorganization act then in effect precluded submission of plans involving agencies whose organizational status had been changed by the Congress subsequent to January 1, 1945. The act of February 24, 1945, transferred the Federal Loan Agency, which included the Federal National Mortgage Association, from the Department of Commerce. Moreover, the holdings of the Federal National Mortgage Association amounted to only $7,500,000. This small volume of operation presented few immediate problems of coordination with other aspects of the entire housing program. However, the basic relationship of the Federal National Mortgage Association to the housing program was recognized by making the chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, or his designee, a member of the National Housing Council.
The present high volume of activity by the Federal National Mortgage Association has radically altered the situation which existed in 1947 and has made it essential that these market operations be geared more closely into the Government's housing program. The manner in which these market operations are administered has a direct effect on the kind of mortgages written and the availability and cost of mortgage credit. The secondary market must be administered, therefore, at all times in full consistency with other programs affecting housing credit.
The Government seeks to accomplish the objectives of its housing program through the use of several methods. The purchase and sale of home mortgages in the secondary market by the Federal National Mortgage Association is merely one of such methods. Others include the insurance of home mortgages and improvement loans, insurance of shares of savings and loan associations, and loans and grants to local public agencies for the purpose of financing low-rent housing projects and slum clearance. All of these methods are means whereby the objectives of the housing program are achieved and should be the responsibility of the agency charged with that program.
The transfer of the Federal National Mortgage Association will not prevent the Reconstruction Finance Corporation from making loans to business enterprises on the security of real estate, or from accepting mortgages as collateral in connection with a business loan. This type of activity is consistent with normal business lending functions.
The transfer of the Federal National Mortgage Association to the Housing and Home Finance Agency will assure the necessary coordination of its operations with other housing programs, thus providing a sounder basis for future progress toward a better-housed America. It is not probable that the reorganization in this plan will immediately result in reduced expenses, but in view of the relationship to other programs of housing aids, a more consistent approach in carrying out such policies will be possible and should result in long-term economies.
After investigation I have found, and I hereby declare, that each reorganization included in Reorganization Plan No. 22 of 1950 is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949.
In view of the direct relation of the Federal National Mortgage Association to other housing finance programs, which was initially recognized by the Congress and only last year reiterated by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, I recommend that the Congress grant its approval to the transfer provided in this reorganization plan.
Harry S. Truman.