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THE 1930s

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Amidst widespread unemployment and financial collapse resulting from the 1929 stock market crash, Congress passed the Emergency Relief and Construction Act of 1932, creating the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) and authorizing loans to private corporations providing housing for low-income families. As the Great Depression eased somewhat and the prospect of improved financial status for individual families increased, the National Housing Act of 1934 was passed to relieve unemployment and stimulate the release of private credit in the hands of banks and lending institutions for home repairs and construction. This law also created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the main federal agency handling mortgage insurance. The FHA's assumption of risk, through its insurance programs, made possible the amortization of mortgage loans with regular monthly payments and a secondary market for home mortgages, thus freeing up funds for home loans. In 1937, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) was chartered by the FHA as a subsidiary of the RFC. These early measures stimulated housing construction, and the United States Housing Act of 1937 authorized loans to local public housing agencies for lower-rent public housing construction expenses.

 

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 line As the Great Depression eased somewhat and the prospect of improved financial status for individual families increased, the National Housing Act of 1934 was passed to relieve unemployment and stimulate the release of private credit in the hands of banks and lending institutions.