William John Pulte (born May 28, 1988) is an American businessman who has served as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since 2025. Pulte is the grandson of William J. Pulte, founder of PulteGroup, a residential home construction company. He studied broadcast journalism at Northwestern University.
๐ Early Life and Education
William John Pulte was born on May 28, 1988, in Boynton Beach, Florida. He was the first son of Noreen and Mark Pulte. Pulte’s grandfather was William J. Pulte, the founder of PulteGroup. He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2010.
๐ผ Business and Philanthropy
Pulte founded Pulte Capital in 2011, a private equity firm, and founded The Blight Authority, a nonprofit that clears empty homes, in 2015. Amid a leadership dispute, Pulte was named to PulteGroup’s board in 2016, serving for a four year term. In 2019, Pulte began using Twitter as a platform for philanthropic efforts, referring to himself as the “inventor of Twitter philanthropy.”
๐๏ธ FHFA Appointment and Actions
In January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump named Pulte as his nominee for director of the FHFA. He was confirmed by the Senate in March. He marked his tenure by appointing himself chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Pulte placed 35 workers on administrative leave and fired senior officials who raised concerns about his order for the release of confidential mortgage pricing data.
โ๏ธ Mortgage Fraud Allegations
Beginning in April, Pulte began accusing Trump foes of mortgage fraud, including Letitia James, Adam Schiff, and Lisa Cook. The accusations levied against Cook led to calls for her dismissal as governor and a federal lawsuit. In November, the FHFA opened a mortgage fraud probe into Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell.
๐ Investigations and Controversies
In December, the Government Accountability Office began investigating Pulte over allegations that he has abused his authority at the FHFA. Reuters reported that Pulte allegedly “skipped over his agency’s inspector general when making criminal referrals”, violating ethics rules. The Wall Street Journal reported that watchdogs had initiated a probe to determine if Pulte “had improperly obtained mortgage records of key Democratic officials.”
| Year | Event | Role/Position | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Founded Pulte Capital | Founder | Private equity firm |
| 2015 | Founded The Blight Authority | Founder | Nonprofit clearing empty homes |
| 2016 | Appointed to PulteGroup board | Board member | Served four-year term |
| 2025 | Confirmed as FHFA director | Director | Appointed himself chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac |