- Business
- Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, operates as a government-sponsored enterprise that provides liquidity, stability and affordability to the U.S. housing market by purchasing mortgage loans from lenders, securitizing them into mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and guaranteeing timely principal and interest payments to investors; it conducts single-family and multifamily businesses alongside capital markets operations. Core products and services include single-family mortgage acquisitions and servicing oversight, such as HomeReady low-down-payment mortgages for low-income borrowers with 3% minimum down payments and $2,500 credits for very low-income first-time homebuyers; HomeStyle Renovation and Energy mortgages for purchase, refinance and improvements including repairs, energy efficiency upgrades and accessory dwelling units; 97% loan-to-value options, HFA Preferred, RefiNow refinances, manufactured housing loans via MH Advantage, Native American lending programs, down payment assistance and shared equity initiatives; multifamily loan financing for construction and renovation; plus counseling networks like the Mortgage Help Network for financial hardship and disaster recovery. Fannie Mae, founded in 1938 as part of the New Deal and privatized in 1968, maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., and focuses operations nationwide across residential markets serving homebuyers, owners, renters and lenders. Recent developments encompass the May 2025 launch of an AI-powered Crime Detection Unit in partnership with Palantir Technologies to enhance fraud detection across millions of datasets and prevent mortgage fraud losses; announcement of an $88 billion multifamily loan purchase cap for 2026 to sustain liquidity; third-quarter 2025 net income of $3.9 billion marking 31 consecutive profitable quarters with $287 billion in housing market funding and support for 1,069,000 households in the first nine months; ongoing sales of reperforming loans to shrink its retained portfolio, including a $560.5 million pool in August 2025 marketed with Citigroup; and promotions of key executives to lead single-family business and general counsel roles in October 2025.