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NEWS ABOUT: Freddie Mac

US: OK, Not Everyone Needs to Own a Home

Plan to dissolve Fannie and Freddie marks a shift in philosophy

(Newser) - The federal government is having a change of heart about what constitutes the American Dream. It long pushed the notion that people should own homes—one of the factors blamed for the housing mess—but a new proposal to dissolve Fannie and Freddie marks a pullback from that philosophy, reports... More »

White House: Let's Kill Fannie, Freddie

Obama administration wants to get out of the mortgage market

(Newser) - The Obama administration will propose dissolving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reducing the federal government’s role in the mortgage market, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . The White House is set to release three plans for moving forward without the government-owned mortgage giants, which originated nine out of... More »

Taxpayers Footed Fannie, Freddie's $160M Legal Bill

Americans spend $24.2 million to defend executives

(Newser) - Taxpayers have spent more than $160 million defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in fraud lawsuits since the government took over the companies in 2008. The closely guarded cost was released last week after Rep. Randy Neugebauer requested the figures last year. Some $132 million of the total went to... More »

Issa Reveals His Hit List

WikiLeaks, Fannie Mae among planned investigations

(Newser) - Rep. Darrell Issa is coming out swinging: Congress’s new government oversight chief has placed WikiLeaks, FDA recalls, and much, much more on his long list of planned investigations, according to an outline of committee hearing topics obtained by Politico . Other matters on Issa's slate include corruption in Afghanistan; the... More »

Issa Vows to Investigate Bush, Too

GOP rep with keys to House Oversight wants to probe everything

(Newser) - Darrell Issa’s been chomping at the bit to investigate President Obama, and as the next chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he’s about to get his chance. But Issa says he’s not going to let George W. Bush off the hook, either. “I’m going to... More »

Tab for Fannie, Freddie Could Soar to $259B

That would be nearly twice what they've received so far

(AP) - The government spelled out today just how much the most expensive rescue of the financial crisis will end up costing taxpayers—as much as $259 billion for mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. By contrast, the combined bailouts of financial companies and the auto industry have cost taxpayers roughly... More »

Florida Law Firm Bribed Workers to Forge Foreclosures

...and big bribes at that: jewelry, cars, houses

(Newser) - Employees at Florida’s largest “foreclosure mill” routinely altered and forged documents to speed up the foreclosure process—and were rewarded with jewelry, cars, and other lavish gifts as a result, witnesses tell Florida’s Attorney General. Three former employees of the law offices of David J. Stern have... More »

Foreclosure Scandal Messing Up Home Sales

Thousands of sales thrown into limbo

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of foreclosures have been thrown into limbo in the wake of revelations that major lenders didn’t properly review the foreclosure documents, creating a big mess for people trying to buy those homes, the New York Times reports. JPMorgan and GMAC have suspended foreclosures in the 23... More »

Lender Admits Blindly Approving Foreclosures

Evictions suspended over huge 'robosigning' scandal

(Newser) - Foreclosure eviction proceedings around the country have ground to a halt after a mortgage company employee admitted to signing off on foreclosures without looking at them. The head of foreclosure document processing at Ally Financial, the nation's fourth-largest home lender, was required to verify information and sign documents in the... More »

Homeowner Bailout May Be on the Way

Insiders think Fannie and Freddie will forgive mortgage debt

(Newser) - Another enormous bailout may be in the works, this time for underwater homeowners, writes Reuters blogger James Pethokoukis. Rumor has it that the Obama administration will sidestep Congress and order lenders Fannie and Freddie to forgive some of the mortgage debt of Americans who owe more than their homes are... More »

Fannie Mae Won't Lend to Deadbeat Homeowners

'Strategic defaulters' won't be eligible for 7 years

(Newser) - Fannie Mae has decided to deny homeowners who intentionally default on their mortgages any new loans for seven years, the company announced yesterday. About 12% of foreclosures are the result of people who could pay their mortgages choosing not to and walking away, generally because their home is now worth... More »

Bailout Tab Plummets; Companies Quick to Repay

Expected costs down from $250B to $89B in past year

(Newser) - The financial bailout is looking a lot less expensive these days: At a projected $250 billion just a year ago, the expected federal bailout tab is now down to $89 billion—less than the government paid for the savings-and-loan crisis 20 years ago. The falling bailout costs come thanks to... More »

'Baby Killer' Rep. Gets Razzed on House Floor

Democratic lawmaker jokes about 'homeownership killer' bill

(Newser) - Randy Neugebauer can’t catch any slack after copping to his “baby killer” outburst in the House. Today, Massachusetts Democrat Michael Capuano aimed a jab during a hearing on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. “My emotions might overcome me and I might be tempted to scream out that... More »

US Offers Unlimited Aid to Fannie, Freddie

Feds also allow top officials to bring home fat paychecks

(Newser) - The Obama administration yesterday gave a blank check to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—just in case. The government declared it is willing to provide unlimited financial assistance to the mortgage giants over the next three years, a move designed to reassure markets that the US won't let them fail.... More »

Norquist and Hamsher Team Up to Oust Rahm

Liberal blogger and conservative activist form strange coalition

(Newser) - Liberal blogger Jane Hamsher and anti-tax conservative crusader Grover Norquist agree on exactly one thing: They both want Rahm Emanuel out of the White House, immediately. The two have joined forces to demand a Justice Department investigation into Emanuel’s ties to Freddie Mac. In a letter signed by both... More »

The Next Mortgage Lender Bailout: The FHA

Critics think fallback agency will need a rescue in next couple of years

(Newser) - Another mortgage lender specializing in low income borrowers is in trouble: the Federal Housing Administration. The agency which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could soon share their fate, as borrowers default on the low-downpayment mortgages it insures, critics told a House subcommittee yesterday. “It appears destined for a... More »

Rally Loses Steam; Dow Off 32

Freddie Mac sees shares rise 122% on earnings

(Newser) - Stocks wavered on the heels of last week’s rally, closing slightly lower as investors wait for comments from the Fed, the Wall Street Journal reports. Federal Reserve policy makers will conclude a 2-day meeting on Wednesday and perhaps issue a new assessment of the economic recovery. Despite a broad... More »

White House Weighs 'Bad Bank' Fix for Fannie, Freddie

(Newser) - The White House’s National Economic Council will meet today to discuss a drastic overhaul of beleaguered nationalized mortgage dealers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Washington Post reports. Among other proposals, officials are contemplating a “good bank, bad bank” split. Fannie and Freddie would dump their troubled loans... More »

Pressure on Freddie Exec Was 'Relentless'

Colleagues say Kellermann lost weight, barely went home

(Newser) - The acting chief financial officer at Freddie Mac, who hanged himself yesterday, was working nonstop and had recently asked the company for a security detail, colleagues tell the New York Times. David Kellermann was struggling to balance the contradictory demands of investors, regulators, and lawmakers, and coworkers say he had... More »

Freddie Mac CFO Found Dead in Apparent Suicide

(Newser) - Acting Freddie Mac CFO David Kellerman was found dead this morning in what appears to have been a suicide, the Washington Post reports. Kellerman, 41, joined Freddie Mac as an analyst in 1992. He was promoted to CFO when the government took over Freddie last fall, but the company, which... More »

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