Business Roundtable

Washington – Business Roundtable (BRT) today announced that Weyerhaeuser President & CEO Daniel S. Fulton will lead BRT CEOs in a new effort to advance actionable solutions to reform housing policy and restore growth in the housing sector.

“BRT CEOs, who lead major companies that operate in every sector of the U.S. economy, are focused on housing recovery because it is a prerequisite to overall economic growth and job creation,” said Alexander Cutler, Chairman and CEO, Eaton Corporation, and Chair, BRT’s Corporate Governance Committee, which BRT’s housing effort falls under. “We are pleased to have a CEO of Dan Fulton’s caliber to lead our housing reform initiative.”

In April, BRT released Principles for Reform of U.S. Housing Policy, which examined the way that residential housing construction and development are financed in the United States and offered recommendations to encourage greater use of private capital and refocus the public sector’s role.

“Housing, which accounts for 15 percent of U.S. GDP, is critical to economic growth and job creation,” said Dan Fulton. “Getting housing policy right, particularly when it comes to housing finance, is the key to revitalizing the U.S. economy and creating greater security, prosperity and opportunity for American families.”

Fulton will lead a newly formed BRT Housing Subcommittee to develop creative, actionable solutions and advocate for reform.

BRT’s principles include ideas for reforming both the private and public sectors: 

• Facilitate the private mortgage market by:
  • Encouraging private lending and investment
  • Enhancing standardization and transparency in the mortgage finance market
  • Coordinating government action to provide stability and certainty
  • Ensuring consistent regulatory oversight and examination to support extension of credit 
• Reform the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) by:
  • Reducing taxpayer risk and encourage market-based pricing
  • Reducing the GSEs’ portfolios
  • Refocusing the nation’s affordable housing strategy

“America’s CEOs are committed to housing policy reforms that will ensure America’s housing sector can once again drive sustainable economic growth and provide safety and security for American families,” Fulton said.