Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to repay U.S. sooner

Reuters: Revamped terms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's taxpayer-funded bailout that went into effect this year will allow the mortgage finance firms to repay the Treasury sooner than would have otherwise been the case, a federal watchdog said on Wednesday.

Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) were seized by the government at the height of the financial crisis in 2008 as mortgage losses threatened their solvency. Since then, they have drawn about $188 billion in taxpayer funds to stay afloat, while paying about $58 billion to the Treasury in dividends.

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