2.12.1.2. Ginnie Mae
There is another important player in the mortgage-backed securities world—the Government National Mortgage Association, more commonly known as Ginnie Mae. Unlike Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, Ginnie Mae is not a GSE; instead, it is a public government agency. It does not buy or sell mortgages or issue mortgage-backed securities. Instead, Ginnie Mae securities are often issued by private companies, such as banks. Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of interest and principal of certain mortgage-backed securities, and it has the full faith and credit of the U.S. federal government to do so. So if an exam question describes an investor who buys a Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed security, remember that the investor is buying a security with interest and principal payments that are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Despite their differences, mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and those backed by Ginnie Mae are all referred to as agency securities.
SUMMARY TABLE Issuers of Agency Securities |
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Backing |
Type of Entity |
Function |
Purpose of Entity |
|
* mortgage-backed securities † collateralized mortgage obligations |
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Freddie Mac |
Implied guarantee from federal government |
Government-sponsored enterprise |
Issues MBSs* and CMOs† |
Bring more funds into the housing sector to encourage home ownership |
Fannie Mae |
Implied guarantee from federal government |
Government-sponsored enterprise |