Quasi-public corporation

Quasi-public corporation

A corporation that is operated privately, but is supported by the government in its operations and that often traded publicly.

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quasi-public corporation

A privately operated firm having legislatively mandated public responsibilities. A quasi-public corporation may have publicly traded shares of stock. Fannie Mae is a quasi-public corporation established to make a secondary market in mortgages. The firm is privately owned but publicly traded and its shares of common stock are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Quasi-public corporation. In the United States, quasi-public corporations have links to the federal government although they are technically in the private sector.

This means that their managers and executives work for the corporation, not the government. And, in many cases, you can buy stock in a quasi-public corporation, expecting to share in its profits.

Many quasi-public corporations were originally federal agencies that have been privatized. Among the best known are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Sallie Mae. They securitize consumer loans and sell them in the secondary market.

The US Postal Service is also a quasi-public corporation, as is the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).