Treasury Sells Off the Last of Its GSE MBS Holdings, Earned Tidy Profit on Market Stabilization Program
March 23, 2012
The Treasury Department this week finished winding down its holdings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac MBS, claiming a positive return of $25 billion for the U.S. taxpayers from a market stabilization initiative launched in the teeth of the 2008 financial market meltdown. Treasurys holdings of MBS issued by the two government-sponsored enterprises peaked at $197.6 billion in December 2009. These MBS purchases helped preserve access to mortgage credit during a period of unprecedented market stress, the agency said. The Federal Reserve agency MBS investment program was far bigger, peaking at $1.12...