FANNIE MAE

Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman and a great proponent of new bank regulations, was a key enabler in the rise and eventual collapse of Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored enterprise focused on mortgage financing, according to a new book.

The U.S. Treasury is accelerating taxpayer repayments by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance companies that own or guarantee around 60 percent of the country's housing market, but the strategy will only work if the housing market continues to improve.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA, the regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said it has "significant concerns" over proposals by local governments to use eminent domain to seize foreclosures and reduce loan balances to provide homeowner relief.

Fannie Mae (OTC: FNMA), the largest government-controlled mortgage backer, reported its second consecutive quarterly profit for the first time in five years Wednesday, but its CEO said the company should cede business to private investors when the housing market finally recovers.

Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage financier, reported a $3.02 billion second quarter profit Tuesday on a stronger portfolio, another sign of an improving housing market.

A top U.S. housing regulator refused on Tuesday to offer principal reductions for mortgages held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, highlighting a sharp difference in views over the best way to aid the beleagured real estate market.

The EU is looking into the possibility of making Libor and Euribor rate-rigging -- the deliberate manipulation of interest rates that set the benchmark for over $500 trillion in financial contracts - a criminal offense.

The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-controlled entities that guarantee around 60 percent of the U.S. mortgage market, remains uncertain, but their federal regulator is requesting a plan to wind them down and sell their assets.

Although the U.S. home construction industry continues to lag behind the broader job market, improvements in housing are expected to create jobs and boost construction this year, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said in a new report, Housing: Getting Back To Work.

During the second quarter, average rents increased to record levels in 74 of the 82 U.S. markets tracked by real estate data firm Reis Inc. (NYSE: REIS), according to a report released Thursday. A number of factors are driving the trend.

The dissolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest U.S. mortgage guarantors, would have only a minimal impact on home ownership level, according to a new report that downplays the link between low interest rates and increased ownership.

Four years after the 2008 financial crisis began gathering steam, the government has collected another piece of the remaining billions in bailout money that it's owed.

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates increased to 3.71 percent, reversing six weeks of declines after modestly positive economic data, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

U.S. investors are getting back into real estate, but their efforts are being complicated by the uncertain housing market.

The IOU that is being laid on the doorsteps of U.S. taxpayers in the form of the national debt is far greater than most Americans realize. That's because the federal government does not report the true size of the national debt -- now nearly $80 trillion.

Fannie Mae, the federally controlled mortgage giant, said Tuesday it is appouinting its general counsel, Timothy Mayopoulos, as its new president and CEO.

Home prices are stagnant, crude oil is tumbling and copper has fallen to a seven-month low. Inflation is not the problem. What is the problem is inflation's evil twin, deflation.

U.S. mortgage rates dropped even lower in the week ending May 31, with the 30-year rate falling to 3.75 percent, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Time to stop dropping the presumptive and the likely qualifiers: It is all but certain that after Texans finish voting in Tuesday's Republican presidential primary, Mitt Romney will have secured the 1,144 delegates he needs to win the nomination.

French and German consumer confidence showed unexpected strength, reports showed Friday. While the market is cheering about the good news, some economists view this as a warning sign of a euro zone crisis fatigue - something that is as dangerous, if not more so than the crisis itself.

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates dropped to 3.78 percent in the week ending May 24, down slightly from 3.79 percent in the previous week, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.