Nonprofits and journalists are suing the Federal Housing Finance Agency to gain access to records on its fraud investigations and enforcement activity.

The agency is facing four Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, for allegedly ignoring public records requests. While the FHFA has moved to defend itself in those cases, it has also hinted that it holds hundreds, if not potentially thousands of pages of records from the past year alone regarding its fraud and investigative activities.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Campaign for Accountability sued the FHFA Monday, asking for expedited processing of a FOIA regarding the agency's activities in investigating Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The CFA said it submitted a FOIA late last month for records that could shed light on FHFA Director Bill Pulte's role in attempting to prosecute Powell, a foe of both Pulte and President Trump. 

Pulte has long criticized Powell for high interest rates, and more recently over a multi-billion dollar renovation of the Fed's headquarters. Simmering resentment from the administration boiled over last month, when Powell revealed the central bank received grand jury subpoenas from the Department of Justice over his past testimony regarding the renovation. 

The FHFA's FOIA officer told the nonprofit Tuesday that its request was in the queue, CFA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith told National Mortgage News. 

A spokesperson for the FHFA didn't respond to a request for comment.

What the FHFA has revealed

It's unclear how many FOIA requests the agency is processing, although the backlog appears significant as it's told different plaintiffs some of their requests could take over a year to review. 

Bloomberg and reporter Jason Leopold sued the FHFA and the Fed Board of Governors in November for filings spanning non-published investigative reports since 2025, Pulte's correspondences regarding fraud, and all criminal mortgaged fraud tips shared to the agency's newly-established tip line. 

The sides updated a Washington, D.C. federal court last month on the agency's progress. The regulator said it found: 

• 186 pages of investigative reports since February 2025 from the FHFA Office of Inspector General; 
• About 13,000 pages of potentially responsive documents of internal emails discussing fraud;  
• Around 9,234 pages of potentially responsive documents regarding "fraud tips".

The agency said it would take between 12 to 18 months to review and process the internal emails and fraud tips before disclosure, and was still determining the scope of a separate, related document request. A spokesperson for the law firm representing Leopold and Bloomberg didn't return a request for comment Tuesday. 

While the updates don't clearly state how many fraud tips the agency has received, it's an early indication of the volume of fraud prevention activity undertaken by Pulte. The director has frequently touted fraud as a priority for the agency, but they've revealed few details about their work.

Other pending FOIAs

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Democracy Forward Foundation, and the conservative outlet National Review also filed FOIA lawsuits against the agency last October, separately seeking information around the Trump Administration's probes into three prominent political officials. The regulator in court filings said it's still reviewing those requests. 

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook have all denied the Trump administration's accusations that they've committed mortgage fraud. 

The FHFA has also not provided an update regarding a FOIA request by Jimmy Tobias, an independent reporter, for internal communications regarding the director's Pulte Capital investment firm.