Inside Freddie Mac's Seismic Shift

LOS ANGELES—Freddie Mac has changed its seismic zoning map from its nearly 20-year-old 1997 UBC map to the 10% in 50 year PGA map that Fannie Mae uses. The move was made in an effort to stay more competitive with Fannie Mae, according to Drew McCreery, a principal and technical director at Partner Engineering and Science. The new map is more site specific, which is great news because there is less ambiguity than the previous map; however, it also may mean some increased yet relatively nominal costs. In this exclusive interview, we sat down with McCreery to explore this and other Freddie Mac changes, including its new energy loan discounts.    

GlobeSt.com: Give me an update on the key changes to the Freddie Mac energy loan program.