The value of the contract was not disclosed.WASHINGTON – Secondary mortgage market giant Freddie Mac reported another $1.7 billion loss for the fourth quarter of 2010, creating a $19.8 billion loss for the year.
The report, which comes with a request for another $500 million in government assistance, comes as Congress is opening its inquiry on the future of Freddie and its secondary market sister Fannie Mae.
The government rescued Freddie and Fannie in September 2008 to cover their losses on soured mortgage loans. It estimates the bailouts will cost taxpayers as much as $259 billion.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own or guarantee about half of all mortgages in the U.S., or nearly 31 million home loans worth more than $5 trillion. Along with other federal agencies, they played some part in almost 90% of new mortgages over the past year.










