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Statement
Statement of FHFA Acting Director, Edward J. DeMarco, on Freddie Mac Risk-Sharing Transaction

07/24/2013

"FHFA is pleased that Freddie Mac is nearing completion of its first risk-sharing transaction, a key step in the process of attracting private capital back to the U.S. housing finance market. The transaction—a direct debt issuance—will assist Freddie Mac in transferring credit risk to the private sector on recently-acquired, single-family conforming loans.

"One of the goals of our Scorecard and Strategic Plan for Enterprise Conservatorships is to gradually contract Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s dominant presence in the marketplace. This transaction is a step towards that goal. It was designed to gain insight as to how the private sector prices mortgage credit risk and to reduce taxpayers’ exposure to that risk. We expect to learn from this transaction, refine the approach and maintain steady progress with future transactions to restore private sector participation in housing finance."

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The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than $5.5 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions.

Contacts: 

Corinne Russell (202) 649-3032 / Stefanie Johnson (202) 649-3030