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

Harabedian has said that most of the contracts and guidelines of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the government-sponsored organizations that hold or guarantee the majority of U.S. mortgages — do not bar loan deferrals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

At least 10 senior Fannie Mae employees are leaving the secondary mortgage giant, with a senior administration official saying they were terminated.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a pivotal role by buying up mortgages and packaging them to sell to investors, guaranteeing the investors payments even if borrowers default.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Meanwhile longtime holdings like Fannie Mae and Universal Music Group subtracted from his performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Then came the collapse of the government-sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both promptly nationalized.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis