Government National Mortgage Association
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(Redirected from Ginnie Mae)
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 Formed: 1968Jurisdiction: United States of America Employees: 65
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[edit] History
In 1934, during the depths of the Depression, the United States Congress responded to the crisis by passing the National Housing Act of 1934, which established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). One of the principal objectives of FHA was to increase the flow of capital to the housing markets by insuring private lenders against the risk of mortgage default. FHA also was tasked with chartering and regulating a national mortgage association that would buy and sell FHA-insured mortgages.In 1938, Congress amended the act to create the Federal National Mortgage Association, more commonly known as "Fannie Mae", to help mortgage lenders gain further access to capital for mortgage loans.
The provisions of the act changed gradually over the years. It was not until 1968, however, in response to the need to further broaden the capital base available for mortgages that the housing finance system began to resemble its current form. In that year, Congress partitioned Fannie Mae into two entities:
- Fannie Mae, which retained responsibility for purchasing “conventional” (non-Government-guaranteed) mortgages that conformed to specified standards, and
- the Government National Mortgage Association, now known as Ginnie Mae.
[edit] Business
Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest payments on residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to institutional investors worldwide. These securities, or “pools” of mortgage loans, are used as collateral for the issuance of securities on Wall Street. MBS are commonly referred to as "pass-through" certificates because the principal and interest of the underlying loans is "passed through" to investors.Ginnie Mae only guarantees securities backed by single-family and multifamily loans insured by government agencies, including the FHA, Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Public and Indian Housing and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development.
Ginnie Mae neither originates nor purchases mortgage loans. It does not purchase, sell, or issue securities. Accordingly, Ginnie Mae does not use derivatives to hedge and it does not carry long-term debt (or related outstanding securities liabilities) on its balance sheet. Instead, private lending institutions approved by Ginnie Mae originate eligible loans, pool them into securities, and issue the Ginnie Mae MBS. These institutions include geographically diverse mortgage companies, commercial banks, and thrifts of all sizes, as well as state housing finance agencies.
[edit] Role in the housing recovery
In 1970, Ginnie Mae became the first organization to create and guarantee MBS products and has continued to provide critical mortgage funds for homebuyers ever since. Even in uncertain times, investors are guaranteed payment of interest and principal, in full and on time. The benefits of this process are passed on to the lenders who can then make more mortgage loans at more affordable rates.[edit] Government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) versus government-owned enterprises
Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned government corporation. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, on the other hand, are "government-sponsored enterprises" (GSE), which are federally chartered corporations, but still privately-owned by shareholders. In September 2008, the GSEs were placed under government conservatorship, effectively wiping out shareholders.Ginnie Mae neither originates nor purchases mortgage loans; nor does it buy, sell or issue securities in the U.S. capital markets. The credit risk on the mortgage collateral underlying its MBS securities primarily resides with other insuring government agencies. Rather, Ginnie Mae is the guarantor of MBS issued by government-approved securities issuers who participate in Ginnie Mae’s program.
