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INTRODUCTION TO PART I

In Part I of the Seventh Annual Report of HHFA, the Housing and
Home Finance Administrator, as the Government's chief housing of-
ficer and Chairman of the National Housing Council, presents sum-
mary data on the Government's role in housing as well as information
on housing activities in general. This part of the report includes data
on the overall activities of HHFA, as well as details on the activities
of the Office of the Administrator. Specific detail on the programs
and activities of the Home Loan Bank Board, the Federal Housing
Administration, and the Public Housing Administration will be
found in Parts II, III, and IV, respectively, of this report. The ma-
terial presented in Part I deals with both the housing economy in 1953
and HHFA programs and activities. It is preceded by a chronology
of significant events in housing in 1953 and is followed by three ap-
pendixes: Appendix A contains various statistical and fiscal tables-
in addition pertinent statistical tables are included in the text; Ap-
pendix B lists Executive messages and Federal legislation affecting
housing in 1953; Appendix C lists HHFA publications.

CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN HOUSING,

1-5

1953

FHA permits lenders to charge a new service charge of one-half of one percent per year.

1-16 Executive Order 10427 transferred disaster relief program from HHFA to Federal Civil Defense Administration.

1-24 Administrator announced relaxation of the restrictions placed on the disposal of Lanham Act World War II war housing and veterans' reuse housing in order to facilitate disposition of the Federal Government's interest.

3-10 Public Law 5, 83d Congress, approved, increasing Title I loan insurance authorization of FHA to $1,750 million and providing for repayment to the Treasury by June 30, 1954, of $8.3 million Government investment in Title I fund.

3-11 Albert M. Cole became Administrator of HHFA.

Office of Defense Mobilization announced that as of June 30, 1953, a new Defense Materials System would replace the Controlled Materials Plan. 4-13 FNMA suspended temporarily the purchase on an over-the-counter basis of mortgages insured by FHA or guaranteed by VA except mortgages covering defense, military, Alaska, or disaster housing and mortgages covered by commitment contracts or delivered against purchase receipts.

4-16 Guy T. O. Hollyday became Commissioner of FHA.

4-18 Administrator announced the removal of the remaining credit controls on Government-assisted private housing which were imposed in October 1950 under authority of the Defense Production Act.

5-2

FHA and VA increased maximum interest rates on 1- to 4-family homes to 42 percent. The maximum interest rate on FHA-insured Section 207 multi-unit housing was raised to 44 percent.

6-10 FHA Commissioner announced formation of a group of specialists to advise him on home repair and improvement financing under Title I. FHA Commissioner announced appointment of advisory committee of national housing leaders to advise on overall FHA programs.

6-19 Executive Order 10462 transferred to the HHFA Administrator the President's authority to extend deadline dates relating to the disposition of Lanham Act housing.

6-25 Administrator announced plans for a study of the Government's longrange housing activities as the basis for recommendations to be made to the President for legislative recommendations to the Congress. 6-30 Public Law 94, Housing Amendments of 1953, signed by President. (See Appendix B for details.)

7-1

Public Law 101 approved. Extended VA direct home loan program to
June 30, 1954, and provided an additional $100 million authorization.
Authorized increases in interest rates on direct loans up to 41⁄2 percent.
James W. Follin became Director, Division of Slum Clearance and Urban
Redevelopment.

FHA made first repayment of Title I insurance fund to the Treasury in
amount of $8

million.

7-7 Charles E. Slusser became Commissioner of PHA.

As part of his housing study, Administrator began series of “shirtsleeve” conferences in communities throughout the country to discuss housing at the grassroots level.

7-10 FHA Commissioner announced increases in interest rates on FHA

debentures.

7-27 FNMA began selling and purchasing FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgages on a one-for-one basis.

7-29 FNMA began accepting applications for advance commitments for the purchase at par of eligible Section 213 cooperative housing mortgages. 7-31 First Independent Offices Appropriation Act, 1954, approved. Law enacted new requirements for consideration of code enforcement and rehabilitation in administration of slum clearance and redevelopment program, restricted commencement of construction of low-rent public housing to 20,000 dwelling units in fiscal year 1954, and prohibited any new contracts for Federal aid to such housing. Required study of public housing program and report to Appropriations Committees by February 1, 1954. Required liquidation of housing research program not later than April 30, 1954.

8-3

FHA made final payment in amount of over $18 million to the Treasury as repayment of funds advanced by the Treasury for FHA mortgage insurance operations.

John C. Hazeltine became Commissioner, Division of Community Facilities and Special Operations.

84 Walter W. McAllister became Chairman of HLBB.

Administrator announced a new interest rate of 32 percent for college housing loans in accordance with the provisions of the Housing Amendments Act of 1953. At the same time he announced the removal of provision restricting college housing loans to defense related purposes. 8-14 FHA announced experiments in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders in the trade-in house field.

9-12 In Executive Order 10486, the President established an Advisory Committee on Government Housing Policies and Programs.

10-7 Office of Defense Mobilization designated Administrator to present supply and requirements information with respect to housing construction, alteration, and repair.

12-14 President's Advisory Committee on Government Housing Policies and Programs presented its report to the President.

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