NAAHL is committed to providing an effective voice for community investment practitioners in the public policy arena. NAAHL made a number of significant contributions bringing private capital to those in need. They include:

1. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now have explicit single family goals for loans affordable to households earning under 50 percent and 80 percent of area median income (AMI), with single family subgoals for: 1) purchase money and refinance mortgages; 2) families that reside in low income areas (under 80 percent of AMI); and 3) median income families residing in minority census tracts
2. The law also establishes a multifamily goal for purchase of mortgages on apartments affordable to households under 80 percent of AMI.  Furthermore, the companies’ new regulator shall establish additional requirements for the purchase by each enterprise of mortgages on multifamily housing that finance dwelling units affordable to very low income (under 50 percent of AMI) families
3. Finally, the law directs the companies’ new regulator to require reports on purchases of mortgages for small (5-10 unit) multifamily projects that serve low income families, or mortgages up to $5 million.  The new regulator is authorized to establish additional requirements by regulation

• Led advocacy efforts that achieved in 2006 a statutory 50 percent increase in the amount each bank can invest in eligible, direct public welfare investments, from 10 percent to 15 percent of a bank’s capital.  NAAHL then followed up by leading industry efforts that restored the pre-existing, more liberal standard, signed into law July 31, 2008
• Provided lender support for new resources for helping homeowners most at-risk of foreclosure; communities hard-hit by foreclosures; and increasing affordable rental housing

• Supported coalition efforts that achieved modernization of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to make it easier to attract private capital and support a broader range of targeted populations, like homeless veterans
• Contributed to the OTS decision to announce its intention to conform its CRA rules with the other three regulators, recognizing the importance of thrifts' Community Development investments and services
• With LISC, one of only two organizations asked to testify before the House Government Reform Committee about CRA's impact on LMI communities
• Persuaded all the bank regulators to recognize the unprecedented nature of the Katrina/Rita disaster with favorable consideration of any insured institution's support for all disaster relief and recovery efforts (assuming a Satisfactory rating in its own assessment areas)
• Worked with the regulators to ensure that CRA investments are not adversely affected by risk-based capital rules
• Worked to resolve anomalous outcomes of CRA exams that chill bank CD loans and investments
• Persuaded banking regulators to include NAAHL's longstanding proposal for a Community Development Test for mid-tier banks in CRA rule changes announced by the FDIC, OCC and the Federal Reserve Board
• Developed legislative proposals adopted by House of Representatives on reforming GSE affordable housing goals, and worked with Senators and staff to incorporate similar reforms
• Testified at the House Housing Roundtable and subsequent House hearing on legislative and regulatory changes to facilitate Katrina relief and recovery, one of six trade associations invited to participate in the FEMA/HUD Joint Housing Solutions Task Force
• Worked with both parties on both sides of the aisle to persuade the new OTS director to rescind regulations unilaterally gutting CRA requirements for thrifts
• Worked with Congressional staff and affordable housing advocates on reforms of the Housing Choice Voucher program, participating in industry summit in Seattle, and testifying at the House Housing Roundtable
• Published two reports on Practical Solutions to Predatory Lending
• Initiated study of non-bank consortia partially funded by Rockefeller Foundation