Friday, January 2, 2009

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/090102/business_us_indymac_fannie.html

And where is the billion dollars going to come from?
More taxpayer funding is my guess.


Fannie Mae (Pacific:FNM - News; Pacific:FNM - News), the largest U.S. home funding company, believes that failed mortgage lender IndyMac has obligations to repurchase around $1 billion of home mortgages that failed to meet Fannie's standards, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.
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Banks that sell loans to Fannie or its smaller rival, Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE - News; NYSE:FRE - News), must make "representations and warranties" that those loans meet certain quality standards, the paper said. If not, the lenders can be forced to buy the loans back, the paper reported on its website late on Thursday.

A spokesman for Fannie told the paper the company is working with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) to resolve the issue.

Fannie could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.

A consortium of private equity and hedge fund firms, including J.C. Flowers & Co, is close to a deal to buy the assets of IndyMac, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this week.

The FDIC, which took control of IndyMac in July 2008, is seeking a buyer.