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Finance & Investing

Fannie Mae's Chrissa Pagitsas on sustainability in financing to improve affordable housing

March 15, 2019

Chrissa Pagitsas, the head of sustainability for Fannie Mae, knows that the decisions that save energy, water and money are the ones that matter for consumers and for homebuyers. 

Sustainable financing is on the rise, and for good reason: costs to projects that help make communities more sustainable can be prohibitive. Fannie Mae finances mortgage lenders so that people can buy homes, and encouraging sustainability in appliances, building techniques and other ways helps prevent emissions from being released and helps people to save money. "We focus on making sure our lenders understand what makes it green, and that our borrowers understand what makes it valuable to them in their homes," Pagitsas said. 

Fannie Mae issues a significant amount of green bonds for these projects, from solar panels to green building certifications. In fact, they were the largest issuer of green bonds for the second year in a row, and Pagitsas has been able to show impact back to the company.