What is the primary purpose of Fannie Mae in the mortgage market?

The primary purpose of Fannie Mae, or the Federal National Mortgage Association, is to purchase residential real estate loans. By buying these mortgages from lenders, Fannie Mae helps to provide liquidity in the mortgage market, enabling lenders to replenish their funds and offer more loans to consumers. This process helps maintain a stable and affordable housing market by ensuring that lenders have the capital necessary to fund new loans, thereby supporting homeownership.

While Fannie Mae does have some programs that support first-time homebuyers and works to facilitate easier access to mortgages, its central role is not directly issuing loans or providing insurance for lenders. Instead, its operations focus on secondary mortgage markets, where it effectively stabilizes and enhances the flow of mortgage capital.