Barry Habib, founder and CEO of MBS Highway and one of the mortgage industry’s most recognized market forecasters, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae, effective July 21, 2025. The appointment was disclosed in a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Habib will serve until the next annual election of board members or until resignation or removal by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which currently acts as Fannie Mae’s conservator.
The newly constituted Fannie Mae board now includes 10 individuals, per the company’s governance page:
- William J. Pulte;
- Michael Stucky;
- Priscilla Almodovar;
- Renée L. Glover;
- Barry Habib;
- Clinton Jones;
- Karin J. Kimbrough;
- Omeed Malik;
- Manuel “Manolo” Sánchez Rodríguez; and
- Scott D. Stowell.
Pulte, who serves as Director of the FHFA, now chairs the board, while Stucky is vice chairman.
While Habib’s committee assignments have not yet been announced, he is expected to receive compensation aligned with Fannie Mae’s non-employee director policy. Public filings to date confirm a standard annual cash retainer of $160,000 for non-employee directors, with any additional committee retainers still undetermined. The company also anticipates entering into a standard indemnification agreement with him.
Habib is a three-time recipient of the Crystal Ball Award for real estate market forecasting accuracy and was named Mortgage Professional of the Year in 2019. He previously originated more than $2 billion in personal production and served as lead producer of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages.
Amid evolving market dynamics, Habib's appointment adds a seasoned voice from the mortgage market to Fannie Mae's board overseeing one of the nation’s most critical housing finance institutions.
