FANNIE MAE

Taxpayers have recovered most of their money paid to rescue the mortgage giants following a rebound in the nation's housing sector.

The quarterly report of the TARP watchdog outlines the current status of the huge government bailout program.

Everything you need to know about the biggest financial settlement in history: JPMorgan's $13 billion check to the U.S. government.

A bad month is due to get worse as JPMorgan, fresh from a $13 billion DOJ settlement, is facing an additional $5.75 billion blow.

Latest moves are the tip of the iceberg for bank's legal woes.

Further, Richard Bove's conclusion about the effect of a default may actually be rosy, as he himself admits.

With banks rejecting more people than ever for mortgages, what do you need to consider before applying for one?

Five years after the financial crisis, questions remain over what will become of Fannie and Freddie. So far, there are few answers.

Freddie Mac by failing to pursue thousands of foreclosed mortgages lost the opportunity to recover $4.6 billion in shortfalls.

Investors remain in a wait-and-see mode until there's further hard evidence regarding the Fed's stance on stimulus as autumn begins.

When Lehman Brothers collapsed, it took down the careers of Dick Fuld, Erin Callan and Joe Gregory, among others.

Citigroup shareholders had claimed in November 2007 that the bank misled shareholders about mortgage-backed assets.

The massive settlement could make several other banks facing similar lawsuits feel uneasy.

The Swiss banking giant didn’t disclose the amount of the settlement but said it would impact its second-quarter earnings results.

The spread between loans for high-end properties and government-backed mortgages has narrowed, showing confidence in U.S. economy.

Perry Capital has sued the U.S. government for taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, challenging a proposal to liquidate the two companies.

Citi will pay the loans from its reserves, which it says will be topped up by $245 million when second-quarter earnings reports are due.

Shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who have sued the U.S. government for $41.5 billion in damages, may not have the strongest case.

On March 14, Fannie Mae stock was floundering around 50 cents per share. On March 15, the fuse was lit on shares of FNMA as housing legislation rumors swirled around the digisphere. By March 16, the stock jumped 20 percent, and by the end of the next day it hit 75 cents per share -- a 50 percent spike in a week on pure rumors. Not bad.A week later, Fannie Mae stock tripled, then lost all of the value it gained in the same day. Does anybody else see a serious problem with this? I do. Originally, I wanted to buy Fannie Mae stock, thinking it sounded like a lucrative idea. The line of thought went something like: The better the housing market does, the better the stock will do, right?

The surplus the United States government magically conjured up for the month of April has created a media maelstrom. A portion of the surplus was on behalf of higher tax receipts following tax season. Another part was a surprise influx of cash from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- to the tune of $95 billion.It would therefore make sense for the U.S. government to keep Fannie and Freddie as long as possible, to serve as a profit engine to zip up its deficits.Think about it. At the moment, the government has Fannie and Freddie in conservatorship. And for the time being, it’s unknown whether shareholders will be entitled to future profits -- all profits currently go to the government. There is also rumor that the two companies will be consolidated into a single entity.

The federal budget deficit has begun what the CBO thinks will be three years of contraction. After that, deficits will resume growing.