Are mortgage-backed securities or municipal bonds “qualified investments”?
A2. As a general rule, mortgage-backed securities and municipal bonds are not qualified investments because they do not have as their primary purpose community development, as defined in the CRA regulations. Nonetheless, mortgage-backed securities or municipal bonds designed primarily to finance community development generally are qualified investments. Municipal bonds or other securities with a primary purpose of community development need not be housing-related. For example, a bond to fund a community facility or park or to provide sewage services as part of a plan to redevelop a low-income neighborhood is a qualified investment. Certain municipal bonds in underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies may also be qualified investments. See Q&A § 345.12(g)(4)(iii)–4. Housing-related bonds or securities must primarily address affordable housing (including multifamily rental housing) needs of low- or moderate-income individuals in order to qualify. See also Q&A § 345.23(b)–2.
