Carson Dismisses HUD Mission Statement Concerns as “Nonsense”

Mar 09, 2018

The U.S. Department of Housing & Development’s (HUD) Office of the Inspector General has determined there was no misconduct by Secretary Ben Carson in connection to the attempted purchase of a $31,561 dining set for his office

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Dr. Ben Carson has criticized media reports based on a leaked memo that claim his Department is moving away from protecting disadvantaged demographics because the Department is rewriting its Mission Statement without the phrase “communities free of discrimination."

According to a Washington Examiner report, Carson e-mailed his staff to remind them that the HUD Mission Statement has changed twice over the last two Administrations, but HUD’s core focus to fight housing discrimination has not been erased.

“The Department’s Mission Statement has changed from time to time to capture the dynamic nature of our work,” Carson wrote. “It changed in 2003 and again in 2010. Now, in 2018, we are considering another change to our Mission Statement and are seeking comments and ideas from our senior staff. But the notion that any new Mission Statement would reflect a lack of commitment to fair housing is nonsense.”

The proposed Mission Statement, which was leaked to the media earlier this week, reads: “HUD’s mission is to ensure Americans have access to fair, affordable housing and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency, thereby strengthening our communities and nation.” However, this draft has not been finalized, and HUD’s Web site has not reflected the change.

About the author

Phil Hall

Link copied

Published

Mar 09, 2018

Analysis and Data

Weak Jobs Report Helps Mortgage Rates, But Exposes A Bigger Industry Risk

Payrolls declined in July and previous gains were revised sharply lower, giving the Fed breathing room while raising new concerns about borrower confidence and mortgage-industry employment

The weakest employment report in months gave mortgage rates some relief Friday, but it delivered a less comfortable message beneath the bond-market rally: The labor market may no longer be strong enough to support housing demand.U.S. nonfarm payroll employment declined by 23...

Tech

Blend Reports Early AI Gains While Mortgage Revenue Trails Volume

Funded loans increased 14%, twice the growth rate of Mortgage Suite revenue, while preliminary Autopilot results showed better pull-through and 4.5 hours of automated work per loan

Blend Labs handled considerably more mortgage loans in the second quarter, but its revenue did not keep pace.Funded loans on Blend’s platform increased 14% year over year to approximately 233,000. Mortgage Suite revenue rose half as fast, increasing 7% to $19.2 million.Econo...

Aug

Las Vegas, NV

More from

Regulation and Compliance

Servicers Begin Testing Systems Ahead of VA Partial Claim Deadline

VA lenders and servicers have until Nov. 28 to implement the new loss mitigation waterfall and Partial Claim Program

Regulation and Compliance

Aug 06, 2026

ROAD Act’s Housing Incentive May Be Too Small To Move Supply

Realtor.com finds the median city risks losing only about $84,000, although the policy could carry more weight in supply-starved Northeast and Midwest markets

Regulation and Compliance

Aug 05, 2026

CRA Proposal Could Reshape Bank Lending And Affordable Housing Investment

The OCC and FDIC would put more weight on lending while easing community development requirements for hundreds of banks

Regulation and Compliance

Aug 05, 2026

Fannie Mae AI Governance Deadline Arrives Aug. 6

Seller/servicers using artificial intelligence in origination or servicing must have formal policies, oversight, and vendor controls in place

Regulation and Compliance

Jul 31, 2026

Condo Review Deadline Puts Lenders On The Clock

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will eliminate abbreviated project reviews for condo applications dated on or after Aug. 3