Fannie and Freddie Prepare to Count Crypto in Loan Approval Decisions. How Will the Market Respond?  

In June 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to map out how cryptocurrency could be counted as an asset for home loan applications. Borrowers could keep their crypto accounts. They would not need to convert assets into dollars to receive their loans.

In a directive signed on June 25, Pulte said crypto is part of an applicant’s full financial situation. So, Fannie and Freddie could promote homeownership for creditworthy borrowers by recognizing the asset.

Between them, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back the mortgages of most U.S. home loans. And how many borrowers might be interested in the new policy? Probably quite a few. About 15% of the country’s population keep some of their wealth in digital assets.

Building a Base for the “Crypto Capital of the World”

Reporters at CNBC called the new policy “a landmark shift for the U.S. housing finance system” and the sign of “a new era of crypto integration into traditional financial infrastructure — this time within the core of American home lending.”

That core is vulnerable, as we know, looking back at past mortgage crises. The new policy expects flexibility from mortgage lenders. They’ll need the ability to verify crypto reserves. They’ll need to work with the regulatory uncertainty.

Cryptocurrencies are still considered unpredictable, high-risk assets. They are known for their intermittent dips and surges. Is this asset class mature enough for government-sponsored entities to rely on?

Some staffers at Freddie and Fannie have concerns, as CNBC, Reuters, and other outlets reported. Reuters reported that an insider said the directive set off a “scramble” at both Fannie and Freddie to devise ways to implement it, given continued uncertainty and perceived risks.

And when FHFA chief William Pulte announced the move on social media, saying it would advance the Trump administration’s intention to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, some pointed to potential conflict of interest problems.

After all, this is the federal housing sector’s stamp of approval for crypto. And the Trump family has a lot at stake in the sector. An October Reuters report stated that the Trump family took in $800+ million from selling cryptocurrencies in the first half of 2025. That’s the time period in which the Department of Justice dismissed its crypto enforcement personnel.

Plus, the crypto industry invested heavily in the Trump presidential campaign.

All that aside, part of the safety question will involve just which coins will be acceptable assets in loan underwriting. So, which cryptocurrencies will Fannie and Freddie consider?

There’s no list in the Pulte directive. But we do know that assets must be held on U.S. regulated exchanges to be eligible. The most stable crypto assets, such as bitcoin and ether, would be most likely to succeed in the mortgage world. What about Solana? Ripple? We shall see. Fannie and Freddie are expected to submit proposals to their boards, and then to the FHFA for final review.  

Redfin Plays Down Risks to the Housing Market

Mortgage lenders carefully scrutinize applicants’ employment, income, taxes, bank balances, and retirement accounts. Their review of an applicant’s risk factors has not included cryptocurrency. But Bill Pulte said the new directive followed significant research, and lending is ripe for change.

Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, has told reporters that the new process would not be such a major shift in the way lenders operate. It “might be a bit difficult” for underwriters to assess the risk inherent in considering crypto, Fairweather acknowledged. But the economist believes that’s within their scope of work. Fairweather said “it would be pretty easy” for lenders to update their risk assessments to incorporate crypto the way they currently incorporate stocks.

We could say Redfin is swimming with the tide. Financial institutions continue to integrate crypto assets in banking and payments. Bank of America now considers bitcoin a legitimate category of loan collateral. FDIC‑insured custody methods are now available to deal with security concerns while enabling customers to apply for loans without having to liquidate their crypto accounts. Other banks, too, are coming aboard and advertising bitcoin‑backed loan options. Next month, Bank of America will also start letting its financial advisers recommend crypto as part of their clients’ investment accounts.  

New Challenges for Lenders, Raised Eyebrows in Congress

Unsurprisingly, the new federal policy is coming up against criticism from people concerned about anything that might stress out the U.S. mortgage lending market. And this is also a fair position to take. HousingWire has pointed out the complexity of addressing not only volatility, but also “the long-term implications of quantum computing on crypto security.”

Several senators have written to Bill Pulte. They’ve called the idea of accepting unconverted cryptocurrency as mortgage loan reserves a risky proposal. The concerned senators say they and the public ought to reach a better understanding of how this decision is being made. They need the time and space to examine possible risks — how will Fannie and Freddie address the volatility? — and rewards. And they need to get a grip on the meaning of this policy change for the U.S. housing market.

At the same time, the idea has been cheered on by Republican senator Cynthia Lummis, who has introduced a bill to etch it into law. Lummis has enthusiastically chaired the Senate Banking Committee’s crypto subpanel. But with Lummis’s newly announced retirement plans, the energy behind this and other pro-crypto lawmaking is less certain than it was.

Wait and See Mode

We’ll be watching how the crypto-backed mortgage concept unfolds. It offers hope, to the extent that it prompts lenders to welcome more deed holders into the fold.

Many of today’s mortgage applicants don’t have the traditionally perfect profile. Many rely on the gig economy or are self-employed, and they don’t show up with a stack of W2 forms.

And yet, this new breed of borrowers has its savers. Some are long-term holders of bitcoin and other crypto assets. Keeping them out of the applicant pool is arguably unhealthy for the housing market.