Tagged: mortgage assistance

Two senators who have taken the lead on legislation aimed to help homeowners refinance at historically low interest rates were blunt this morning about how concerned they are by the news NPR reported earlier this week that Freddie Mac "has placed multibillion-dollar bets against American homeowners being able to refinance to cheaper mortgages."

Freddie Mac last month said it would stop making risky bets against homeowners after concerns were raised by its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The statement by the FHFA was issued in response to an investigation by NPR and ProPublica that disclosed how Freddie Mac bought billions of dollars in securities that turned a profit if homeowners remained stuck in high rate mortgages. The White House said the Treasury Department is looking into Freddie Mac's investments. Steve Inskeep talks with NPR's Chris Arnold and Jesse Eisinger of ProPublica about their report.

Several U.S. lawmakers and prominent economists on Monday said Congress and the White House should end a financial conflict of interest at the taxpayer-owned mortgage company Freddie Mac.