Barry Habib on his appointment to the Fannie Mae board

Mortgage industry prognosticator Barry Habib was both surprised and honored that the Federal Housing Finance Agency approached him for a role on the Fannie Mae board.

“I wasn’t expecting it, I didn’t solicit it, and it is an extreme honor,” Habib said in an interview with National Mortgage News.

He was named to the Fannie Mae board on July 21, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Some people already on the board expressed their excitement that Habib, the head of MBS Highway who is well-known as a mortgage industry speaker and former executive, is joining their ranks, he said.

“I’m really looking forward to this experience and learning and hopefully making important contributions,” Habib said. “I’ve been in this industry for almost 40 years now, and I’ve got a good…