- Business
- The Federal National Mortgage Association operates as a pivotal source of capital for residential mortgages across the United States. This government-sponsored enterprise facilitates housing finance by transforming mortgage loans from various lenders into its guaranteed mortgage-backed securities, known as Fannie Mae MBS, thereby providing continuous market liquidity. The organization manages its extensive activities through two primary divisions: Single-Family and Multifamily. The Single-Family division is engaged in acquiring and securitizing residential mortgage loans, encompassing fixed-rate and adjustable-rate first-lien mortgages, as well as those backed by government-insured programs like the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development. This segment also includes financing for manufactured housing and offers crucial mortgage servicing along with robust credit risk and loss mitigation strategies to maintain market stability. The Multifamily division is dedicated to fostering liquidity in the rental housing market. It achieves this by securitizing and purchasing multifamily mortgage loans, issuing structured MBS backed by these assets, and offering credit enhancements for bonds issued by state and local housing finance authorities that fund multifamily housing initiatives. Furthermore, this segment provides delegated underwriting and servicing, invests in low-income housing tax credit projects, and manages credit risk for multifamily mortgages. Fannie Mae primarily generates revenue through guaranty fees for assuming the credit risk on the loans underlying its securities and from its retained mortgage portfolio. The organization serves a broad array of financial institutions, including mortgage banking companies, commercial banks, credit unions, and housing finance agencies, ultimately aiming to expand access to affordable homeownership and rental housing for a diverse population of U.S. homebuyers and renters. Since its inception in 1938 and its establishment of headquarters in Washington, D.C., the company has been under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since 2008, consistently reporting profitability, including a net income of $3.9 billion for the third quarter of 2025. Fannie Mae continues to play an essential role in the nation's housing ecosystem, providing liquidity, stability, and affordability.