HB53, titled the Responsible Borrower Protection Act of 2025, would block the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac from implementing a set of mortgage credit fee pricing changes announced in January 2023. The bill specifically nullifies the FHFA’s updated single-family pricing framework and the related lender guidance issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, making those changes have no force or effect.
At the same time, the bill states that it should not be read to prohibit the enterprises from continuing to use risk-based pricing for single-family mortgages. In other words, it does not eliminate credit-fee pricing altogether; it only prevents the particular changes adopted in the 2023 framework from taking effect.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend the practical operation of federal housing finance policy by preventing FHFA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac from carrying out the specified pricing changes for single-family mortgage credit fees. It would preserve existing authority for risk-based pricing, but would override the announced updates to the enterprises’ fee structure and related lender bulletins, affecting mortgage lenders, borrowers, and the government-sponsored enterprises’ underwriting and pricing practices.
Sentiment
Based on the bill title and text, the measure is framed as borrower protection and appears intended to reduce or prevent fee changes viewed as unfavorable to mortgage applicants. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided material, so the available context does not show formal support or opposition beyond the sponsors’ clear intent to stop the pricing changes.
Contention
The main point of contention is the mortgage credit fee pricing framework itself: supporters of the bill likely view the 2023 FHFA changes as increasing costs for some borrowers or distorting pricing, while opponents would likely argue that the changes are part of risk-based pricing and broader housing finance policy. The bill’s express preservation of risk-based pricing suggests an effort to draw a line between opposing the specific 2023 updates and preserving the general principle that higher-risk loans may carry higher fees.