Fannie Mae
Fannie, I wish I’d never seen your face
Why was there even such a thing as the “Zero Down Payment Act”?
Econowatch
A weekly scorecard on the state of the economy in North America and beyond
Inside the meeting that saved the world
ANDREW COYNE: How the seven richest nations went all in on a plan that brought the global economy back from the brink
Surprise! You invested in credit swaps.
Now regular investors can lose it all just like the pros
Was bailing out Fannie and Freddie the right thing to do?
Okay, hear me out. I understand that if the U.S. government hadn’t stepped in and taken over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (I still can’t get over those names), then the mortgage giants would have exploded. Given that they back about half of America’s $12-trillion or so in home mortgages, that would be a very bad thing. But here’s the thing: By stepping in a bailing Fannie and Freddie out, the government didn’t solve the problem, they just diluted it.