Fannie Mae

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The crazy pandemic-era housing price boom might not have been possible without Fannie Mae. The government-backed enterprise doesn’t issue mortgages directly, but it purchases, securitizes, and guarantees loans made by other lenders, which attracts investors and helps keep the mortgage market liquid. Fannie Mae reported in February that it had acquired 1.4 million single-family home loans and 3.3 million refinanced mortgages in 2021, backing more than $450 billion worth of home purchases.