A second federal judge has given a preliminary green light to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s massive litigation campaign against banks at the center of the financial crisis.

U.S. District Judge Mariana Pfaelzer in Los Angeles ruled Thursday 18 that the FHFA, which was created as the conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2008, isn’t time-barred from pursuing securities claims over $26.6 billion in mortgage-backed securities sponsored or underwritten by Countrywide Financial Corp.