Pulte taps Trump ally Omeed Malik for Fannie board

Omeed Malik, a hedge fund veteran and Trump ally, will join Fannie Mae's board of directors immediately, Bill Pulte announced Monday. 

It's the latest change to the boards of the government-sponsored enterprises by the Federal Housing Finance Agency director since he shook up their leadership a month ago. He revealed the move in an X post, while last month's reshuffling was disclosed in securities filings.

"Omeed brings great capital markets, legal and investment experience as we make Fannie and Freddie great again," Pulte's X post read, echoing President Trump's "Make American Great Again" slogan. 

Representatives at Malik's companies didn't return immediate requests for comment Monday.

Malik is the founder and CEO of Farvahar Partners, a merchant bank, and the founder and president of 1789 Capital, which invests in "EIG", or entrepreneurship, innovation and growth. He's also the chairman and CEO of Colombier Acquisition Corp. II, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company that has agreed to merge with digital firearms retailer GrabAGun.

The new Fannie Board member was also the chairman and CEO of SPAC Colombier Acquisition Corp. I, which combined with an e-commerce marketplace promoting "patriotic" goods, PublicSq, in 2023. 

Malik is a former attorney and ex-managing director and global head of the hedge fund advisory business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He was let go by Bank of America in 2018 after allegations of harassment by women at the company. Previously, Malik was also a senior vice president at long-shuttered commodities brokerage MF Global. 

The incoming Fannie director holds conservative ties, as he lists himself as an investor of The Daily Caller media site since 2020. Donald Trump Jr. is a partner at Malik's 1789 company and last month was nominated to the GrabAGun board of directors. The 1789 firm is also run by businessmen with ties to Vice President J.D. Vance and Peter Thiel, the tech billionaire and Republican backer. 

The banking professional has also contributed thousands of dollars to Republican politicians, including $11,600 to President Trump and his Save America political action committee in the recent presidential election cycle. 

Pulte's additions to Fannie's board include FHFA General Counsel Clinton Jones and Michael Stucky, a former operating partner at the director's private firm and a past division president at the homebuilder Pulte Homes. Board appointee Christopher Stanley, an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, resigned his post immediately last month. 

The FHFA director also appointed himself chairman at both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In just a few weeks' time, Pulte has undertaken swift action at the housing regulator, from rescinding a dozen agency orders to allegedly laying off 25% of FHFA employees. He hasn't yet made any announcements regarding long-anticipated plans to exit the GSEs from the FHFA's conservatorship.