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congressional watchdog agency has agreed to investigate whether FHFA officials misused federal resources to target political adversaries. The Government Accountability Office sent a letter on Dec. 1 asking the agency to review recent actions that may have involved improper use of authority and resources, prompted by eight Democratic senators’ request to examine Bill Pulte’s criminal referral process. Pulte, a vocal Trump ally, has repeatedly accused several Democrats—including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff—of mortgage fraud. Those claims have not held up in court; a grand jury declined to re‑indict James after a judge dismissed the case, and Cook remains at the Fed despite Trump’s attempts to remove her. Cook has denied the allegations and sued Trump to keep her position.

    In other news, Fannie Mae has halted its National Housing Survey, a monthly report that has been published for 15 years. The last release was on Oct. 7; the agency announced on Dec. 5 that it will no longer publish the survey and will redirect resources to other research. The survey, which includes the Home Purchase Sentiment Index and consumer expectations on housing, mortgage rates, employment and the economy, has long been a key source of insight for economists, researchers and the media. Archived data remain available on the Fannie Mae website.

    FHFA also announced that it will raise the conforming loan limit (CLL) for 2026 to $832,750—an increase of $26,250—to match the 3.26 % rise in home prices between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, as measured by the FHFA House Price Index. The agency adjusts the CLL annually in response to home‑price growth.

    Meanwhile, FICO has reached a milestone in getting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to adopt its FICO Score 10T model. In a Dec. 1 blog post, FICO’s VP Julie May noted that the company has secured an agreement with FHFA to release historical Score 10T data, a key step toward broader market access. The new credit‑scoring model, validated by FHFA in 2022, is expected to be implemented soon.

    These developments underscore a busy period for FHFA officials, as the agency navigates scrutiny over political accusations, updates loan limits, and moves toward a new credit‑scoring framework while Fannie Mae shifts its research focus.