Ann Schnare

Freddie Mac, Credit Ratings and Segregation

Ep. 11 - Dr. Ann B. Schnare, the President of AB Schnare Associates LLC, a consulting firm specializing in housing and mortgage finance, says, "Discrimination, segregation, income inequality, and automation are among the serious structural challenges that today's leaders must tackle."

Top Takeaways:

- The importance of credit scores introduction to eliminate subjectivity in the housing sector
- How the housing quality has improved over the last 50 years even with major challenges
- The factors intertwined with and redefining affordable housing
- The impact of Freddie Mac in helping needy communities in the early 2000s
- Why Freddie Mac and Fannie May would work better as one

Listen to hear how Anne contributed to eliminating racial discrimination in the housing sector.

"I always got fed by working with really wonderful, smart, energetic people. I felt that did me more good than sitting in my office and closing the door and writing a paper. I don't know if that model is good for everyone but it was very important to me.

CAREER

Dr. Ann B. Schnare is President of AB Schnare Associates LLC, a consulting firm specializing in housing and mortgage finance. She provides a range of consulting services focusing on the mortgage and housing markets, financial reform, the secondary mortgage market, credit scoring and credit risk, and fair lending. Her clients include financial institutions, trade associations, law firms, consulting companies, and credit bureaus. From 2010 to 2016, Dr. Schnare staffed a CEO-level policy forum comprised of the nation's largest mortgage lenders that addressed a variety of policy and business issues related to mortgage regulation and financial reform.

Prior to starting her own firm in 2000, Dr. Schnare was Senior Vice President for Corporate Relations at Freddie Mac. During her tenure at Freddie Mac, she served on the company's operating committee; directed the company's corporate communications, industry relations, issues management, and philanthropic giving; and ran its research division. Dr. Schnare has served as Director of Housing and Public Finance at the Urban Institute and managed several large government consulting practices.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Dr. Schnare was Chair of the Center for Housing Policy from 2000 through 2006, and also served on the Board of Volunteers of America National Service. Dr. Schnare holds a PhD in Economics from Harvard University and a BA, summa cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis.

Listen in to learn the difference between Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the role they have played in the housing sector, and whether they're still effective.

KEY MOMENTS

She shares her journey in the housing sector as a government researcher, corporate executive, and an independent researcher [2:49]

She explains the difference between Freddie Mac and Fannie May [4:44]

Her experience going to Harvard as part of an experiment and being in the housing sector as part of very few women [5:44]

She mentions some of the progress and settled solutions plus all the issues that need to be addressed in the housing sector over the last 50 years [7:57]

How she worked towards the introduction of credit scores which had an impact as compared to manual underwriting in eliminating subjectivity [11:37]

What it means to have quality housing and the challenges it has gone through over the last 50 years [14:17]

Why some factors are contributing to making affordable housing not a housing problem anymore [20:48]

She describes her impact of helping people at Freddie Mac when it was resourceful as her greatest success story [25:19]

The possibilities that exist for the improvement of the housing sector [28:22]

The solutions that could be taken to improve Fannie May and Freddie Mac by opening up more charters and making them utilities [34:24]

The advice she has for young people and those who want to join the housing sector by utilizing the existing technology and being optimistic. [37:01]

She describes her legacy as helping champion for elimination for housing segregation and discrimination and helping women [38:45]