Office address: 1523 L St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Website: www.fanniemae.com
Year established: 1938
Company type: government-sponsored enterprise (GSE)
Employees: 8,200+
Expertise: mortgage financing, housing finance, mortgage-backed securities, multifamily rental housing, single-family home lending, mortgage underwriting, secondary mortgage market operations
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Peter Akwaboah (acting CEO and COO); John Roscoe and Brandon Hamara (co-presidents); Erik Bisso, Kelly Follain, and Chryssa Halley (EVPs); Dave Hofman (SVP and CHRO)
Financing status: shareholder-owned company
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) is a GSE based in Washington, D.C. The firm purchases mortgages from lenders, bundles these mortgages into securities, and sells them to investors to expand mortgage availability. The company served over 1 million households and held $4.3 trillion in assets as of September 2025.
Congress created Fannie Mae in 1938 as President Roosevelt’s response to the Depression’s housing crisis. The firm’s core mission addressed a fundamental problem facing the nation during economic hardship. Stable housing funding became critical for rebuilding the American economy and restoring hope.
After World War II ended, millions of veterans needed homes for their growing families. Fannie Mae purchased mortgages from lenders, freeing up cash to finance more home purchases.
This liquidity allowed communities across America to grow rapidly during the postwar boom. Homeownership expanded throughout the nation as the middle class strengthened and prospered significantly.
The government restructured Fannie Mae through the Charter Act in 1954 as a mixed-ownership corporation. Two decades later, Congress converted it into a private, shareholder-owned firm in 1968.
This transition meant the company now funded operations through stock and bond markets instead. The federal budget no longer supported Fannie Mae, making it self-sufficient and market-driven.
During the 1980s, the firm pioneered mortgage-backed securities that attracted global investors to housing. The firm bundled mortgages and guaranteed investor payments which created deeper markets for home loans.
However, the 2008 financial crisis devastated the housing industry as prices fell sharply. Fannie Mae faced massive losses and came under federal conservatorship through the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
The company stabilized and returned to profitability in 2012 after major restructuring efforts. By 2014, the firm repaid all emergency funds and began contributing billions to Treasury. Today, the firm continues serving millions of Americans seeking affordable and stable mortgage financing.
Fannie Mae offers investors guaranteed mortgage-backed securities that deliver stable returns across various portfolio needs:
Fannie Mae maintains rigorous underwriting standards to ensure investment quality across all loan types. The company helps stabilize the housing market while expanding financing access for lenders and borrowers.
Fannie Mae states that it centers on employee work that creates meaningful housing impact. According to the company, it offers comprehensive benefits supporting employee well-being and professional development:
Fannie Mae’s staff participates in the company’s corporate social mission to expand affordable housing nationwide. The firm’s Congressional charter mandates mortgage market liquidity and stable credit, with housing comprising 18 percent of US GDP.
Peter Akwaboah serves as Fannie Mae’s acting CEO and COO, with over three decades of leadership expertise. At Morgan Stanley, he previously worked as managing director, COO for technology, and head of innovation. His education includes multiple engineering degrees, with a first-class honors Bachelor of Engineering from University of Birmingham.
Fannie Mae’s executive leadership team guides the company’s housing mission:
Fannie Mae’s leadership team makes sure the company fulfills its long-standing mission of providing mortgage credit. The team guides strategy and capital allocation to expand housing access nationwide.
Fannie Mae’s 2024 research on older homeowners reveals that they feel confident about retirement and plan to stay in their homes. This survey data helps lenders understand this growing demographic better since the 60-plus group approaches half of all US homeowners. The findings shape Fannie Mae’s mortgage lending strategy for managing wealth and housing needs across this expanding population.
The firm has operated under conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis, with ongoing debates about its future structure. The Trump administration has reportedly explored potential stock offerings and initial public offerings to transition toward private ownership. These structural changes directly impact mortgage rates, lending availability, and economic stability for American homebuyers and investors.
Apartment real estate investment trusts, which have been outperforming many of their real estate peers in 2008, are expected to take a hit in 2009 as rising unemployment will likely cause both demand and rents to decline.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Andrew Wessel has raised earnings estimates and price targets on several mortgage real estate investment trusts in the wake of the Fed’s latest rate cut.
The incoming administration should consider the regulatory reforms for the financial markets that it will propose to Congress and the regulatory agencies when it takes office in January.
The seized-up credit markets and economic uncertainty will take a toll on commercial real estate for the next few years, with rents and occupancy falling until at least the first half of 2010, said Bob Bach, chief economist with Grubb & Ellis.
Fannie Mae posted a large third-quarter loss, while the profit at GLG Partners LP fell.
Barclays launched the iShares S&P Short Term National Municipal Bond Fund (SUB) and the iShares Barclays Agency Bond Fund (AGZ).
Many institutions and individuals share responsibility for the mortgage crisis and the meltdown that followed: Congress, several successive presidential administrations, top executives at Fannie Mae
They aren't necessarily the first mutual funds that come to mind as a place to take cover during turbulent markets, but two funds that invest in mortgage-backed securities with an eye towards community development are doing relatively well.
The government rescue plan inevitably will produce many villains.
Home sales increased 5.5% last month from August and 1.4% from a year earlier to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.18 million units, according to the NAR.
The following transcript is from "What the Crisis Means for Long-Term Investing," an InvestmentNews webcast held Oct. 7.
It is time for politicians of all stripes to stop blaming the financial crisis on "Wall Street greed" and level with the American public.
Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and Citigroup Inc. were walloped by third-quarter losses, while State Street Corp., The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. posted profits.
New York-based JPMorgan Chase reported a third-quarter profit of $527 million, or 11 cents a share, down 84% from the $3.4 billion, or 97 cents a share, recorded in the year-ago period.
Investors fearing a market collapse are running into U.S. Treasuries, but they may soon rue the day they let fear dictate their investment decisions.
