July 27, 2022

In This Issue:

Texas Legislature Update
FHFA Director: Fannie, Freddie Need $300B Combined In Capital
ICYMI: TREC Education Standards Advisory Committee Accepting Applications for Members

Texas Legislature Update

TLTA | July 27, 2022
The Texas Legislature's 88th Session will commence in less than six months on Jan. 10, 2023, and legislators can begin pre-filing bills less than 4 months for now.

While the final runup to the upcoming legislative session will not occur until after the general election in November, there's weekly activity at the Texas Capitol now, primarily focused on interim study of subjects assigned to legislative committees by the Speaker of the Texas House and the Lieutenant Governor. Your team at TLTA are closely monitoring the interim study process, as recommendations made during the interim frequently reappear in the form of filed legislation.

Housing affordability and property taxes are part of the current interim discussions at the Capitol, and two items of recent news are worth noting. The Texas House Urban Affairs Committee recently held a special hearing in Houston to discuss housing affordability – a discussion we continue to monitor at the state and federal levels. And, importantly, the state's Comptroller recently revised his estimate of how much Texas appropriators will have to work with when the Legislature crafts the next state budget for the upcoming biennium. The Comptroller said legislators will have nearly $30 billion more to work with than previously projected. As the Texas Capitol community discusses what to do with those additional funds, reducing property taxes is a common proposal. We should expect to see property taxes addressed in some regard during the 88th Session.

As lawmakers' priorities for the upcoming session continue to develop and evolve, so too are TLTA Legislative Committee volunteers working to develop legislative proposals to present to the Legislature in the spring. If you have issues or concerns that may require a legislative solution, please contact [email protected].

Our TLTAPAC activities continue throughout the legislative interim, and additional PAC outreach and activity is expected after the November election. Thank you to our Local Legislative Liaisons, TLTAPAC Board, and all who continue helping us maintain effective lines of communication with the lawmakers who oversee our regulated industry.

Please be sure to mark your calendar for our industry's Day at the Capitol Feb. 7 and 8, 2023. We will share more details about this important event in the coming months.

FHFA Director: Fannie, Freddie Need $300B Combined In Capital

National Mortgage Professional | July 21, 2022
Under the supervision of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac are building combined capital reserves of $300 billion, while also working to transfer credit risk to the private sector.

That’s what FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson told the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services last week, during her first appearance before the committee since being sworn in as director in June.

The hearing, titled Housing in America: Oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, focused on the financial soundness of Fannie & Freddie, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that have been in conservatorship under the supervision of FHFA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 14 years.

Read More »

ICYMI: TREC Education Standards Advisory Committee Accepting Applications for Members

Texas Real Estate Commission | July 15, 2022
The Texas Real Estate Commission's Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) is accepting applications to fill two education member positions by real estate instructors or owners of real estate schools, accredited by the Commission, that provide qualifying or continuing education. It is also accepting applications to fill four real estate license holder positions. License holders must have been engaged in the practice of real estate for at least five years before the members' appointment and actively engaged in that practice.

Learn More or Apply »

Evolving Cybersecurity - How to Protect Your Company and Customers

Thursday, Aug. 18
presented by Genady Vishnevetsky, Chief Information Security Officer, Stewart Title Guaranty Company
1 hr Escrow
1 hr MCLE

Cyber threats continue to evolve. From social engineering and phishing attacks to wire fraud and ransomware, what are the latest cyber fraud trends and schemes to be aware of? Hear practical advice on recognizing the latest scams and protecting your company and your customers from the increasingly clever arsenal of tricks cybercriminals are using today.

Register for the live webinar on Aug. 18 now

Now Available On-Demand
Texas Housing Market Forecast What's Ahead?
Presented by Dr. Jim Gaines of the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center. Recorded at TLTA's Annual Conference June 13.
1 hr Escrow

This overview of national, state and local economic conditions includes historical perspective and some circumspect predictions of what's ahead for Texas' real estate market. Dr. Gaines, a long-time favorite of TLTA conference guests, shares his insights on issues impacting residential real estate and a look at the commercial market.

Register for this on-demand webinar now

Don't see what you're looking for in the list above? TLTA maintains a library of more than 80 On-Demand webinars and videos covering the title industry topics you need to earn continuing education credits and stay ahead of the curve on the latest industry trends!