(RECAP: The Obama administration is ramping up its push on U.S. lawmakers to approve a major piece of housing-finance-reform legislation, which is approaching a key hurdle in Congress. Conspicuously absent from the administration’s public push is Mel Watt, who directs the FHFA, which regulates Fannie and Freddie. Watt, sworn in at the start of the year, has given no public speeches since becoming director. After the Senate Banking Committee finishes its markup of the bill, Watt may offer public guidance for Fannie and Freddie policies, according to a recent research note from Compass Point Research & Trading, a Washington-based investment firm.)