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The GSE Implicit Subsidy and the Value of Government Ambiguity

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Author Info
Wayne Passmore
Abstract

The housing-related government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have an ambiguous relationship with the federal government. Most purchasers of the GSEs' debt securities believe that this debt is implicitly backed by the U.S. government despite the lack of a legal basis for such a belief. In this article, I estimate how much GSE shareholders gain from this ambiguous government relationship. I find that (i) the government's ambiguous relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac imparts a substantial implicit subsidy to GSE shareholders, (ii) the implicit government subsidy accounts for much of the GSEs' market value and (iii) the GSEs would hold far fewer of their mortgage-backed securities in portfolio and their capital-to-asset ratios would be higher if they were purely private. Copyright 2005 by the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association

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Article provided by American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association in its journal Real Estate Economics.

Volume (Year): 33 (2005)
Issue (Month): 3 (09)
Pages: 465-486
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Handle: RePEc:bla:reesec:v:33:y:2005:i:3:p:465-486

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  1. Robert A. Eisenbeis & W. Scott Frame & Larry D. Wall, 2006. "An analysis of the systemic risks posed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and an evaluation of the policy options for reducing those risks," Working Paper 2006-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Su Zhou & Mohsen Bahmani-Oskooee & Aali M. Kutan, . "Purchasing Power Parity Before And After The Adoption Of The Euro," Working Papers 0031, College of Business, University of Texas at San Antonio. [Downloadable!]
  3. John M. Quigley, 2006. "Federal credit and insurance programs: housing," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Jul, pages 281-310. [Downloadable!]
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  4. William Poole, 2007. "The GSEs: where do we stand?," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue May, pages 143-152. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Michael Davies & Jacob Gyntelberg & Eric Chan, 2007. "Housing finance agencies in Asia," BIS Working Papers 241, Bank for International Settlements. [Downloadable!]
  6. W. Scott Frame, 2009. "The 2008 federal intervention to stabilize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Working Paper 2009-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. [Downloadable!]
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