Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae occupies a singular position in American finance. Created by Congress in 1938 as part of the New Deal to address the lack of reliable, affordable mortgage financing, the company today stands as a foundational pillar of the U.S. housing finance system. In 2025 alone it provided $409 billion to the housing market and helped approximately 1.5 million households buy, refinance, or rent homes.

Its operating mechanism is straightforward in concept and consequential in effect: Fannie Mae purchases mortgages from lenders, bundles them into mortgage-backed securities, and sells them to investors, creating a continuous flow of capital that enables lenders to offer more loans. The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage - the product it introduced and popularised - gave families stable monthly payments and the predictability to build wealth through homeownership, turning a privilege into an achievable prospect for millions.

Beyond the residential market, Fannie Mae's Multifamily business finances quality, affordable rental housing through programs including the Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS) model and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) investments, with a stated commitment to keeping rental housing accessible in every market, every day. The work spans mortgage finance, mortgage-backed securities, underwriting, and capital markets, across the United States.

What distinguishes the enterprise is the fusion of public mission and private-market mechanics, carried by a record of innovation in mortgage products and underwriting programs. It is a place where expertise in housing finance, capital markets, and residential mortgage markets is applied to a measurable national outcome: expanding access to affordable housing and homeownership.