The federal government assumed control of the ailing Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) in 2008, two institutions that facilitate the flow of funding for home loans nationwide. The cost to taxpayers of that takeover, and the structural weaknesses that contributed to the institutions' financial problems, have prompted policymakers to consider various alternatives for the government's future role in the secondary (resale) market for residential mortgages. This book examines how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac evolved into the institutions they are today and the rationales that are often cited for federal involvement in the secondary mortgage market and the problems that existed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before the recent financial crisis.