Fannie Mae

American  

Or Fanny Mae

noun

1. Federal National Mortgage Association.

2. any of the publicly traded securities collateralized by a pool of mortgages backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association.

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Fannie Mae British  

/ ˈfænɪ meɪ /

noun

1. (in the US)an informal name for the Federal National Mortgage Association, a private company that buys and sells mortgage debt

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Etymology

Origin of Fannie Mae

Altered from FNMA, the association's initials

Compare meaning

How does fannie-mae compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Ginnie Mae vs. Fannie Mae

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Fannie Mae

At the precipice of the financial crisis, the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with their implicit government guarantee and imprimatur, either securitized or guaranteed roughly half of all mortgages in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The cost of a jumbo loan might be expected to be higher because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don’t guarantee them, and they pose a higher risk to lenders.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Interest rate risk is the main risk to investors associated with “agency” mortgage bonds backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, because they are guaranteed against credit losses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

The bulk of mortgage securities are issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are quasi-government entities whose bonds carry little credit risk.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

I toss and turn, turn and toss, and think about that photograph in the hallway, then back to my Aunt Fannie Mae, then I think of those haunted trees again.

From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson