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Carol Galante was confirmed as commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration in one of the Senate's final votes of 2012.

Galante, who has been serving as FHA commissioner in acting capacity, has been waiting for final confirmation since 2011. She secured the support of Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., in a letter last month that outlined steps being taken to strengthen the agency's financial position, including increased vigilance sought by NAFCU with respect to borrowers who have strategically defaulted on mortgages only to seek new ones.

Her nomination was approved Dec. 30 on a vote of 69-24.

NAFCU has pressed the FHA to take another look at its three-year lockout period, which is much briefer than the seven-year lockout period in place at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The association, in meetings with Galante and in correspondence with the agency and members of Congress, has urged against policies that may encourage borrowers to strategically default on their loans even if they have the means to repay them.

NAFCU President and CEO Fred Becker reiterated that call Dec. 11 in a letter to Corker and Sen. David Vitter, R-La., both of whom pressed the acting FHA commissioner on the issue in a Senate Banking Committee hearing.

• FHA tightening enforcement of lockout policy, 12/21