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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 13 FANNIE MAE CEO: 2015 WAS A 'STRONG' YEAR DESPITE DROP IN EARNINGS Just one day after FHFA Director Mel Watt stated during an address in Washington, D.C. that risks facing the Agency (namely the GSE's declining capital buffer) are "certain to escalate" the longer the conservatorships of the GSEs continue, Fannie Mae reported an annual net income of $11.0 billion for 2015—a decline of 23 percent from the previous year's net income of $14.2 billion. Fannie Mae's earnings report for Q 4 and the full year 2015, released Friday, also came one day after fellow GSE Freddie Mac reported a 17 percent drop in annual net income in 2015, from $7.7 billion down to $6.4 billion. e year 2015 was the fourth consecutive year of profitability for both GSEs, though the profits have been steadily declining since 2012—their first year of profitabil- ity since the 2008 taxpayer-funded bailout. e decline in year-over-year net income for Fannie Mae was primarily driven by a substantial decrease in the amount of income the GSEs re- ceived from settlements resolving lawsuits related to private-label mortgage-related securities sold to Fannie Mae, and increased expenses incurred due to single-family foreclosed properties on which the loan is owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae. Despite the nearly one-quarter drop in net income from 2014 to 2015, Fannie Mae reported a positive net worth of $4.1 billion as of December 31, 2015, and the Enterprise's financial results for the year drew praise from CEO Timothy J. Mayopoulos. "Our strong 2015 results demonstrate our commitment to improving both our company and the broader housing finance system," Mayopoulos said. "We are listening closely to our customers so we deliver industry-leading solutions that make doing business with us easier, more efficient, and more certain. We are evolving our business model so we better serve the industry and taxpayers, and fulfill our essential role in making affordable mortgage and rental options available for millions of people across the country." Fannie Mae's Q 4 net income was $2.5 billion, up from $2 billion in Q 3. e Enterprise expects to pay a $2.9 billion dividend to Treasury in the first quarter of 2016, bringing the total dividend paid to Treasury up to $147.6 billion—$31.5 billion more than the $116.1 billion bailout Fannie Mae received from taxpayers in 2008. FREDDIE MAC REPORTS ANOTHER PROFITABLE YEAR; MORTGAGE MARKETS HAVE 'STRONG MOMENTUM' e FHFA's conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remains a controversial topic and the ability of the GSEs to remain profitable has been questioned by lawmakers and other stakeholders. But on ursday, Freddie Mac answered the question—at least for now—by reporting a net income of $6.4 billion for the full-year 2015 in the Enterprise's Q 4 and full- year 2015 Earnings Report. ough 2015's net income was down 17 percent from the previous year's net income of $7.7 billion, 2015 was still Freddie Mac's fourth consecutive year of profitability. Freddie Mac's net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $2.2 billion, rebounding in a big way after reporting a $475 million loss for Q 3. "2015 marked another year of solid financial performance for Freddie Mac—our fourth straight year of profitability, although we did experience significant quarterly market-related earnings volatility," CEO Donald Layton said. "Our performance was driven by our progress in building a better Freddie Mac, as evidenced by continued growth in purchase volumes in the guarantee businesses, including a multifamily record for the company. We're also building a better housing finance system by expanding credit risk transfer and efficiently disposing of legacy assets, and so reducing taxpayer exposure to mortgage risk." Freddie Mac's net interest income for 2015 was $14.9 billion, a 5 percent increase from the previous year, despite mandated reduction in the GSE's mortgage-related investments portfolio. Freddie Mac provided $402 billion in liquidity to the mortgage market in 2015, increasing the total of liquidity provided up to $2.9 trillion since 2009 right after the conservatorship began. "e mortgage markets have strong momentum going into 2016, and we continue to focus on serving our customers better and fulfilling our mission to support the housing needs of owners and renters nationwide, including responsibly expanding access to mortgage credit," Layton said. While concerns remain that the GSEs will eventually need another taxpayer-funded bailout from Treasury, Freddie Mac returned $5.5 billion in dividend payments to Treasury in 2015. ough the yearly dividend payment to Treasury has declined from $47.6 billion in 2013 down to $19.6 billion in 2014 and down to $5.5 billion in 2015, Freddie Mac has now returned $98.2 billion in dividend payments to Treasury, which is nearly $27 billion more than the $71.3 billion bailout it received in 2008. e amount paid to Treasury includes the Q1 2016 obligation of $1.7 billion. In 2015, Freddie Mac transferred a portion of credit risk on approximately $180 billion in mortgages, about $30 billion more than in 2014. e Legacy Asset portfolio declined to 16 percent of credit guarantee portfolio in 2015, compared to 20 percent in 2014. e serious delinquency rate on loans backed by Freddie Mac fell to 1.32 percent as of the end of 2015, down from 1.88 percent at the end of the previous year. Freddie Mac also completed non performing loans sales with an aggregate unpaid principal balance (UPB) of approximately $2.9 billion after completing sales of loans with slightly more than a half billion dollars in UPB the previous year. "We are evolving our business model so we better serve the industry and taxpayers, and fulfill our essential role in making affordable mortgage and rental options available for millions of people across the country." –Timothy J. Mayopoulos, CEO, Fannie Mae

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