Sec. 2306.555. POWERS. (a) The corporation has the powers provided for the department under this chapter.

(b) In addition to the powers granted by Subsection (a), the corporation has all rights and powers necessary to accomplish its public purpose, including the powers to:

(1) purchase, service, sell, lend on the security of, or otherwise transact in:

(A) mortgages, including federal mortgages and federally insured mortgages;

(B) mortgage loans;

(C) deeds of trust; and

(D) loans or other advances of credit secured by liens against manufactured housing;

(2) guarantee or insure timely payment of mortgage loans and loans or other advances of credit secured by liens against manufactured housing, provided that the corporation's liability on that guaranty or insurance is limited to the assets of a guaranty fund or self-insurance fund established and maintained by the corporation;

(3) make mortgage loans and loans or other advances of credit secured by liens against manufactured housing to individuals and families of low income;

(4) make mortgage loans to provide temporary or permanent financing or refinancing for housing or land developments, including refunding outstanding obligations, mortgages, or advances issued for those purposes;

(5) borrow, give security, pay interest or other return, or issue bonds or other obligations, including notes, debentures, or mortgage-backed securities, provided that each bond or other obligation issued by the corporation must contain a statement that the state is not obligated to pay the principal of or any premium or interest on the bond or other obligation and that the full faith and credit and the taxing power of the state are not pledged, given, or loaned to the payment;

(6) acquire, hold, invest, use, pledge, reserve, and dispose of its assets, revenues, income, receipts, funds, and money from every source and to select one or more depositories, inside or outside the state, subject to the terms of any resolution, indenture, or other contract under which any bonds or other obligations are issued or any guaranty or insurance is provided;

(7) establish, charge, and collect fees, charges, and penalties in connection with the programs, services, and activities of the corporation;

(8) procure insurance and pay premiums on insurance of any type, in amounts, and from insurers as the corporation's board of directors considers necessary and advisable to further the corporation's public purpose, including, subject to Section 2306.554(e), liability insurance for the members of the corporation's board of directors and the officers and other employees of the corporation;

(9) make, enter into, and enforce contracts, agreements, leases, indentures, mortgages, deeds, deeds of trust, security agreements, pledge agreements, credit agreements, and other instruments with any person, including a mortgage lender, servicer, housing sponsor, the federal government, or any public agency, on terms the corporation determines may be acceptable;

(10) own, rent, lease, or otherwise acquire, accept, or hold real, personal, or mixed property, or any interest in property, by purchase, exchange, gift, assignment, transfer, foreclosure, mortgage, sale, lease, or otherwise and hold, manage, operate, or improve real, personal, or mixed property, regardless of location;

(11) sell, lease, encumber, mortgage, exchange, donate, convey, or otherwise dispose of any or all of its properties or any interest in its properties, deeds of trust, or mortgage lien interest owned by it or under its control or custody, or in its possession, and release or relinquish any right, title, claim, lien, interest, easement, or demand, however acquired, including any equity or right of redemption in property foreclosed by it, by public or private sale, with or without public bidding;

(12) lease or rent any improvements, lands, or facilities from any person;

(13) request, accept, and use gifts, loans, donations, aid, guaranties, allocations, subsidies, grants, or contributions of any item of value to further its public purpose; and

(14) exercise the rights and powers of a nonprofit corporation incorporated under the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act (Article 1396-1.01 et seq., Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes).

(c) In exercising the foregoing powers granted to it under this chapter, the corporation shall not actively compete with private lenders and shall not originate or make a loan that would be made under the same circumstances by a private lender on substantially the same or better terms within the submarket in which the loan is proposed to be made.

(d) All of the mortgage banking operations shall be dedicated to the furtherance of facilitating affordable housing finance primarily for the benefit of individuals and families of low, very low, and extremely low income who, generally, are not afforded housing finance options through conventional lending channels.

(e) The corporation may contract with the department and with bond counsel, financial advisors, underwriters, or other providers of professional or consulting services.

(f) The corporation shall pay its expenses from any available fund without resort to the general revenues of the state, except as specifically appropriated by the legislature.

(g) The department may not transfer any funds to the corporation to support the administration of the corporation or to subsidize its operations in any way. The department shall be fully compensated by the corporation for any property or employees that are shared by the corporation and the department, and it is the intent of the legislature that no employees be shared beyond the time at which such sharing is absolutely necessary. This subsection does not prohibit the corporation from receiving grants, loans, or other program funds of a kind that are available to other nonprofit corporations, or from using that portion of the program funds that are allowed for administration of the program for administrative purposes.

(h) Transfers of property from the department to the corporation shall be fully compensated.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.66(d), eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 980, Sec. 47, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1041, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.