The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has appointed staff members Naa Awaa Tagoe, Daniel Coates, and Danielle Walton to its leadership team. Tagoe is now acting deputy director for the Division of Housing Mission and Goals. Coates and Walton serve in the Office of the Director as senior advisor to the director and acting chief of staff, respectively.
“I am pleased that Naa Awaa, Dan, and Danielle have agreed to take on these new positions,” acting Director Sandra Thompson said in a release. “It is my goal to provide as many opportunities as possible to leverage the expertise of FHFA’s world-class staff as we execute on our important mission. All three are experts in mortgage finance and share my dedication to ensuring that all Americans have equal access to safe, decent, and affordable housing.”
Before moving into her position as an acting deputy director, Tagoe served as the principal associate director in the FHFA’s Office of Capital Policy. Her team was responsible for regulatory capital policy for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including oversights of their credit risk transfer programs, non-performing loan sales programs, Dodd-Frank Act stress tests, and financial eligibility requirements for approved mortgage insurers, mortgage sellers, and mortgage servicers. Prior to joining the FHFA, Tagoe held positions with Bear Stearns and Houlihan Lokey.
Coates previously served as an FHFA senior associate director, where he led a team of economists and financial analysts responsible for targeted credit and market risk examinations to support the agency’s examinations of Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks). He also led a team which evaluated the financial condition and performance of the FHLBanks. Additionally, Coates serves as the chairman of the FHFA’s Reference Rate Transition Steering Committee, overseeing regulated entities’ transitions from LIBOR and other reference rates. He also is the agency’s representative to the Alternative Reference Rates Committee. Before joining the FHFA, he worked for the U.S. General Accounting Office and the Federal Housing Finance Board.
Walton was the director of stakeholder relations in the agency’s Office of Congressional Affairs and Communications, responsible for establishing and maintaining consistent and productive relationships with the housing finance industry, consumer and public interest groups, and internal staff. The role also served as a liaison between stakeholders and the agency director and supervised the development strategies to help deliver the FHFA’s organizational objectives, stimulate participation in agency activities, and identify concerns. Prior to joining the agency, she worked for secondary mortgage market participants including Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac.