FNMA

Fannie Mae

Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA). A publicly-traded company chartered by the U.S. Congress to guarantee mortgages granted to low- or middle-income households. In order to do this, it buys mortgages and repackages them, selling them as mortgage-backed securities. It also maintains its own portfolio of mortgage-backed securities. With the collapse of the housing bubble, Fannie Mae was placed in federal receivership in 2008 as a result of overexposure to this market. See also: Freddie Mac, Community Reinvestment Act, Credit crunch.

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FNMA

See Federal National Mortgage Association.

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Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association)

What Does Fannie Mae—Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) Mean?

A government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) that was created in 1938 to expand the flow of mortgage money by creating a secondary mortgage market. Fannie Mae is a publicly traded company that operates under a congressional charter that directs it to channel its efforts into increasing the availability of affordable home ownership for low-, moderate-, and middle-income Americans.

Investopedia explains Fannie Mae—Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA)

Fannie Mae purchases and guarantees mortgages that meet its funding criteria. Through this process it secures mortgages to form mortgage-backed securities (MBSs). The market for Fannie Mae's MBSs is extremely large. Pension funds, insurance companies, and foreign governments are among the investors in Fannie Mae's MBSs. To promote home ownership, Fannie Mae also holds a large portfolio of its own and other institutions' MBSs, known as its retained portfolio. To fund this portfolio, Fannie Mae issues debt known in the marketplace as agency debt. Fannie Mae's “little brother” is Freddie Mac. Together, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase or guarantee 40 to 60% of all mortgages originated annually in the United States, depending on market conditions and consumer trends.

Related Terms:
• Freddie Mac—Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.
• Ginnie Mae—Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA)
• Mortgage
• Subprime Loan
• Subprime Meltdown