Wed May 1, 2013  Obama Taps Congressman To Oversee Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac  Originally published on Wed May 1, 2013 7:48 pm
And I'm Audie Cornish.  President Obama today announced two new
heads of agencies that play key roles in the economy. He tapped
former wireless and cable industry executive, Tom Wheeler, to
head the Federal Communications Commission. And he's naming
North Carolina Democrat and veteran Congressman Melvin Watt to
head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.  As NPR's Yuki Noguchi
reports, Watt replaces the agency's controversial acting head of
that agency, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with the
president.  YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Under normal circumstances,
the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency is an obscure
political appointment. But these haven't been normal times. When
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac nearly failed, the FHFA swooped in as
their conservator. Now, Fannie and Freddie are a dominant part
of the housing economy - owning or guaranteeing more than half
of U.S. mortgages