The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC")
NYSE: FRE, commonly known as Freddie Mac, is a government-sponsored
enterprise (GSE) of the United States Government. As a GSE,
it is a stockholder-owned corporation authorized to make loans
and loan guarantees. The FHLMC was created in 1970 to expand
the secondary market for mortgages. Along with other GSEs,
Freddie Mac buys mortgages on the secondary market, pools
them, and sells them as mortgage-backed securities to investors
on the open market. This secondary mortgage market helps to
replenish the supply of lendable money for mortgages and ensures
that money continues to be available for new home purchases.
The name "Freddie Mac" is a creative acronym of
the company's full name that has been adopted officially for
ease of identification