FannieMaefreddieMac

The Obama administration acknowledged Tuesday that major changes must be made to the two mortgage giants being kept afloat thanks to taxpayer billions, but it sees continued government support. Is that a good idea?

The future of the government-backed mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which critics have accused of exacerbating the meltdown in the U.S. housing market, will be discussed next month at a conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that the recent slowdown in economic indicators is most likely temporary. "It's more than likely a pause in the usual cyclical pattern," Greenspan said in an interview.

Fannie Mae's (FNH) report of a third-quarter loss of $19.76 billion and subsequent plea to the federal government for $15 billion in additional aid is sure to intensify a big question that so far has gone unanswered: What can be done to stem the bleeding at the giant mortgage lender and its sibling...

The news just keeps getting worse at embattled mortgage finance company Fannie Mae (FNM). The Washington, D.C.-based company, which buys up mortgages from banks, posted on Thursday a staggering $18.9 billion loss -- its ninth consecutive deficit -- as it incurred more expenses stemming from...