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Bill Pulte

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For his grandfather, the founder of PulteGroup, see William J. Pulte.

Bill Pulte
Official portrait, 2025
Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 14, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySandra L. Thompson
Personal details
Born (1988-05-28) May 28, 1988 (age 37)
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
RelativesWilliam J. Pulte (grandfather)
EducationNorthwestern University (BA)

William John Pulte (born May 28, 1988) is an American businessman who has served as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) since 2025. Pulte has also served as the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since 2025.

Pulte is the Founder of Pulte Capital Partners (2011), an investment firm that focuses on home service businesses. In 2013 Pulte also founded The Blight Authority, a nonprofit that clears blighted homes. He studied broadcast journalism at Northwestern University. Pulte is the grandson of William J. Pulte, the founder of PulteGroup, a residential home construction company. Amid a leadership dispute, Pulte was named to PulteGroup's board in 2016, serving for a four year term. Since 2019, he has used Twitter as a platform for philanthropic donations.

In January 2025, president-elect Donald Trump named Pulte as his nominee for director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He was confirmed by the Senate in March.

Early life and education (1988–2010)

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William John Pulte was born on May 28, 1988, in Boca Raton, Florida.[1] He was the first son of Noreen and Mark Pulte.[2][a] Pulte's grandfather was William J. Pulte, the founder of PulteGroup, a residential home construction company.[3] In high school, Pulte worked for a construction company.[4] He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism,[4] where he was the president of his university's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, in 2010. He started an aerial photography business during university.[2] At Northwestern University, Pulte met his wife, a chemical engineer.[4]

Career

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Private equity (2011–present)

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After graduating, Pulte interned for Huron Capital Partners and later worked for Penske Capital Partners.[4] Pulte founded his own investment firm, Pulte Capital, in 2011.[2] The company had two hundred employees and US$30 million in revenue by 2014. That year, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[5] Pulte estimated his net worth to be US$100 million in an interview with the Detroit Free-Press in December 2021.[4]

Pulte Group (2016–2020)

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In March 2016,[6] William J. Pulte began a campaign to remove PulteGroup's chief executive, Richard Dugas Jr.[7] Dugas announced that he would resign the following month amid pressure from Pulte, his grandson, and Jim Grosfeld.[8] The younger Pulte was appointed to the board in September,[9] becoming one of the youngest board members of a Fortune 500 company.[2] Following the elder Pulte's death in 2018, he was the only descendant to receive an inheritance, according to a lawsuit.[3] Pulte remained on the board until 2020, after disagreeing with established board members.[4] During his tenure, he successfully chief executive Ryan Marshall's proposal to promote Brandon Jones, the Michigan division president, to chief operating officer.[3] Pulte sued Jones in December 2022, claiming that he had been subject to harassment on Twitter.[3]

Philanthropy and nonprofit work

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In 2019, Pulte began using Twitter as a platform for philantrophic efforts.[2] According to Pulte, he was inspired during a summer vacation[2] by Andrew Yang's pledge to give US$1,000 per month.[10] He has referred to himself as the "inventor of Twitter philanthropy." Pulte's posts often involve giveaways in which recipients must follow him, as well as promotional posts for GoFundMe campaigns. By August, he had established a team of ten people to work through charity requests.[2] Pulte brought attention to GoFundMe campaigns established for victims of the Oxford High School shooting[4] and the Uvalde school shooting.[11] By December 2022, he had garnered 3.2 million followers.[3]

By 2013, Pulte had founded[12] the Detroit Blight Authority, a nonprofit that clears empty homes and cleans up trash.[13] After Mike Duggan was inaugurated mayor of Detroit in January 2014, he requested that Pulte halt his efforts. Pulte since founded The Blight Authority, a nonprofit operating in Pontiac, Michigan, and—at the behest of Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey—St. Louis.[2] In November 2018, Pontiac mayor Deirdre Waterman stated that her city was set to be blight-free by the following year.[14]

Political activities

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Avatar of Donald J. Trump
Avatar of Donald J. Trump
 Donald J. Trump Twitter
@realDonaldTrump

Thank you Bill, say hello to our GREAT VETERANS!

July 31, 2019 

Avatar of Bill Pulte
Avatar of Bill Pulte
 Bill Pulte Twitter
@pulte

If @realDonaldTrump retweets this, my team and I will give Two Beautiful Cars to Two Beautiful Veterans on Twitter. @DanScavino

July 31, 2019 

In July 2019, president Donald Trump praised Pulte for promising to give two cars to two veterans if Trump retweeted the post.[15] Pulte told The Detroit News in 2019 that he had met Trump several times and that Trump was familiar with The Blight Authority. In 2024, he contributed heavily to Republican causes, including donating to the Republican National Committee and Trump's presidential campaign.[16]

Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (2025–present)

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Nomination and confirmation

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On January 16, 2025, president-elect Donald Trump named Pulte as his nominee for director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).[17] Pulte appeared before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on February 20, in which he advocated for lowering housing costs and constructing more homes. The committee voted to advance his nomination on March 6, in a 15–9 vote.[12] On March 13, Pulte was confirmed by the Senate in a 56–43 vote. Every Republican senator and Democratic senators Elissa Slotkin, Angela Alsobrooks, and Ruben Gallego voted to confirm him; senator Tammy Duckworth did not vote.[18]

Tenure

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Pulte marked his tenure by consolidating control over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.[19] Days after being sworn in, he moved to oust numerous members of the companies's boards and named himself chairman.[20] Christopher Stanley, a cybersecurity engineer at SpaceX and a Department of Government Efficiency employee, was appointed to the board of Fannie Mae.[21] Pulte placed thirty-five workers on administrative leave; according to the National Treasury Employees Union, they were not given advance notice.[22] He later signed an order ending programs at the companies supporting first-time home buyers and assisting in down payments, leading to concerns that the companies could be privatized.[23] Pulte's job cuts targeted a department that oversaw fair housing rules for the Federal Home Loan Bank system.[24] In April, Pulte referred Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, to attorney general Pam Bondi and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche for criminal prosecution, alleging that James "falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms." The following month, The Washington Post reported that the Department of Justice was investigating James.[25]

Notes

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  1. ^ Mark and Julie had five children after Pulte.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Births". The Palm Beach Post.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Reindl 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Reindl 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Wall Howard 2021.
  5. ^ "Bill Pulte". Forbes.
  6. ^ Solomon 2016.
  7. ^ Dougherty 2018.
  8. ^ Gopal 2016.
  9. ^ Hufford 2016.
  10. ^ Rubin 2019.
  11. ^ Wall Howard 2022.
  12. ^ a b Spangler 2025a.
  13. ^ Mufson & Fletcher 2013.
  14. ^ Abdel Baqui 2018.
  15. ^ "Pulte's online philanthropy push earns nod from POTUS". The Detroit News.
  16. ^ Mauger 2025.
  17. ^ Howard & Clark 2025.
  18. ^ Spangler 2025b.
  19. ^ Goldstein 2025b.
  20. ^ Goldstein 2025a.
  21. ^ Davison & Beyoud 2025.
  22. ^ Goldstein 2025c.
  23. ^ Kaysen 2025.
  24. ^ Heeb 2025.
  25. ^ Jacobs et al. 2025.

Works cited

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