Freddie Mac

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In Switch, Bush Will Sign Bill Overhauling Fannie, Freddie

Measure that would allow feds to insure $300B in mortgages expected soon

(Newser) - President Bush will support a housing package being considered in the Senate, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bush threatened to veto the bill, which includes as much as $300 billion of insurance for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but decided, given market turmoil, that now “is not the time...

Mortgage Rates Surge to 5-Year High

Problems with Freddie, Fannie threaten further woes for housing market

(Newser) - Mortgage rates rose yesterday to a 5-year high of 6.71% as investors worried that—even with government intervention—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wouldn’t play as big a role in the $12 trillion US mortgage market as in the past, reports the New York Times. The rising rates...

Tab for Fannie, Freddie Bailout Pegged at $25B

But chance better than 50% feds won't need to step in: budget office

(Newser) - A federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cost $25 billion, the Congressional Budget Office said today, but there’s a better than 50% chance no rescue will be needed. The plan sought by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would extend an unlimited line of credit to the government-sponsored...

Economic Recovery to Take Months: Paulson

But banking remains 'safe and sound'

(Newser) - Henry Paulson sought to reassure Americans today that US banking is "sound" despite a growing list of troubled banks, Reuters reports. He also said the economy will stay slow for months, but expressed confidence that Congress will shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before summer recess. "Congress...

Freddie Eyes Selling $10B in Shares to Stave Off Bailout

Measure might prevent need for bailout - for now

(Newser) - Freddie Mac is considering issuing $10 billion worth of new common and preferred shares, the Wall Street Journal reports, a move that might stave off a full-blown government rescue—and the increased scrutiny that would come with it. Freddie has been emboldened by two days of big gains, with shares...

Stocks Continue Strong Rally
 Stocks Continue Strong Rally 
MARKETS
Jul 17, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

Stocks Continue Strong Rally

Dow up 207 points; third consecutive day of falling oil prices helps

(Newser) - The markets continued yesterday’s rally as oil kept falling—hitting a low of $131 a barrel for the first time in 6 weeks—and traders bought up financial shares with renewed confidence, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 207.38 points to close at 11,446.66;...

Markets Surge on Oil, Financials
 Markets Surge on Oil, Financials
MARKETS
Jul 16, 2008 3:27 PM CDT

Markets Surge on Oil, Financials

Another drop in crude, good news from Wells Fargo brings out the bulls

(Newser) - The markets rallied big today, as the price of oil fell for a second day and financials regained some of the ground lost in recent chaotic sessions, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 276.74 to go back over the 11,000 mark, at 11,239.28. The...

Ex-Fannie Mae Chief: Don't Bail 'Em Out
Ex-Fannie Mae Chief: Don't
Bail 'Em Out
OPINION
Jul 16, 2008 8:53 AM CDT

Ex-Fannie Mae Chief: Don't Bail 'Em Out

Fannie and Freddie have resources; what they need is clarity

(Newser) - Coherent policy from Washington—not a financial bailout—is what mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are most in need of, writes former Fannie chief Franklin Raines in the Washington Post. “They have more than enough capital to meet their cash obligations,” he writes, as well as...

Dow Sinks Below 11K
 Dow Sinks Below 11K  
MARKETS
Jul 15, 2008 3:34 PM CDT

Dow Sinks Below 11K

Fannie, Freddie continue to sink; regional banks hit hard

(Newser) - The markets ended mixed today after a seesaw session. An $8 decline in crude encouraged investors, but concerns about the fate of the mortgage GSEs and regional banks persisted, MarketWatch reports. The Dow ended down 93.39 at 10,961.80, the first time in over 2 years the average...

'No Immediate Plans' to Prop Up Freddie/Fannie: Paulson

Bernanke gives gloomy outlook for rest of 2008, but raises growth forecast

(Newser) - The US government won't be lending capital to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the near future, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told a Senate committee today. "There are no immediate plans to access either the proposed liquidity or the proposed capital backstop,'' Paulson said, and any lending to...

Paulson's Imprimateur on Freddie/Fannie Rescue

Madcap weekend recasts Treasury Secretary in Clintonian mold

(Newser) - Henry Paulson had a very busy weekend. The treasury secretary had been formulating contingency plans for bailing out beleaguered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for weeks, but Friday’s crisis came before those plans were in place, the Wall Street Journal reports in a reconstruction of events leading to the...

Financials Nudge Markets Down
 Financials Nudge Markets Down 
MARKETS
Jul 14, 2008 3:31 PM CDT

Financials Nudge Markets Down

Anxiety over Fannie, Freddie, fate of regional banks kill early rally

(Newser) - The markets saw modest losses today, erasing an early-session rally spurred by the announcement of a government bailout plan for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as investors mulled the ramifications of a government rescue, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 45.35 points, closing at 11,055.19. The Nasdaq shed...

Fierce Lobbying Deflected Warnings on Fannie, Freddie

Mortgage giants deflected calls for stricter capital requirements

(Newser) - For years, critics have warned that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s special status as government-sponsored enterprises allowed them to shoulder risk far beyond their minimal capitalization requirements, the Washington Post reports. The firms have used their unique position in the financial system, and high-intensity lobbying efforts, to quash any...

Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse
Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse
OPINION
Jul 14, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse

Regulation helped stave off real disaster, writes Krugman

(Newser) - The government's move to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has led to new fears about the state of the American economy—but don't worry too much, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times. Fannie and Freddie are problematic institutions, but compared to the actions of big banks...

Washington Seeks Rescue of Freddie and Fannie

White House asks Congress to approve package

(Newser) - After a frenzied week that saw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac teeter near collapse, the US Treasury and Federal Reserve are seeking to save the nation's two largest mortgage finance companies. Officials say that the plan, if approved by Congress, will let the government buy billions of dollars in Freddie...

Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink
Fannie, Freddie Edge Back
From the Brink
ANALYSIS
Jul 12, 2008 7:11 AM CDT

Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink

Panic eases after turbulent trading, but big test is yet to come

(Newser) - Fears of a collapse of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac finally eased yesterday after a stomach-churning rollercoaster ride that saw a 50% nosedive for the mortgage giants in early trading, writes the Wall Street Journal. A week of panic, prompted in part by reports that the government was preparing rescue...

Mortgage Worries Stalk Stocks
 Mortgage Worries Stalk Stocks 
MARKETS
Jul 11, 2008 3:49 PM CDT

Mortgage Worries Stalk Stocks

Anxiety over Freddie, Fannie, plus higher crude, gives markets a bad day

(Newser) - The markets saw losses today, battered by continued worries over the solvency of mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a fresh spike in crude prices, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 128.48, to 11,100.54. The Nasdaq shed 18.77, closing at 2,239.08, while the...

Stocks Decline as Fannie, Freddie Fall, Oil Leaps

Market nears 11,000 for first time in two years

(Newser) - Stocks tumbled this morning as investors focused on troubles at mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and watched oil prices climb further into record territory. The Dow fell more than 170 points and neared the 11,000 mark for the first time in two years. Investors seemed unimpressed by...

Fannie, Freddie Plunge Gives Short Sellers a Field Day

Very quietly, the sharks are making a killing

(Newser) - With the rest of the world wringing its hands over fears of a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac collapse, one tribe on Wall Street is smiling: the short sellers. Investors have bet against Fannie and Freddie in growing numbers as the two mortgage lenders' positions grew more precarious. But handsome...

As Speculation Swirls, Panic Stalks Freddie, Fannie

As mortgage giants face increased losses, investors uncertain of their futures

(Newser) - What started as a whisper Monday is a roar at week’s end as investors wrestle with the fate of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Wall Street Journal reports. While neither firm, which together own or back roughly half  the nation’s mortgages, faces imminent collapse, awareness...

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