Quote Originally Posted by Subterranean View Post
Is there any reason for the similarity in the names Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or is this purely coincidence?
They're both government-sponsored companies, created by the government to sustain the mortgage market.

I think Fannie Mae was created first, as part of the New Deal, so sometime during the 30s, and Freddie Mac was created during the 70s to compete with Fannie Mae, who I guess had monopoly at the time.

Also, they are both privately owned and operated.