§ 1719. Secondary market operations

(a) Purchase and sale of mortgages; secondary market operations; advance of funds or origination of loans; settlement or extinguishment of borrower’s rights

(1) To carry out the purposes set forth in paragraph (a) ^[1] of section 1716 of this title, the operations of the corporation under this section shall be confined, so far as practicable, to mortgages which are deemed by the corporation to be of such quality, type, and class as to meet, generally, the purchase standards imposed by private institutional mortgage investors. In the interest of assuring sound operation, the prices to be paid by the corporation for mortgages purchased in its secondary market operations under this section, should be established, from time to time, within the range of market prices for the particular class of mortgages involved, as determined by the corporation. The volume of the corporation’s purchases and sales, and the establishment of the purchase prices, sale prices, and charges or fees, in its secondary market operations under this section, should be determined by the corporation from time to time, and such determinations should be consistent with the objectives that such purchases and sales should be effected only at such prices and on such terms as will reasonably prevent excessive use of the corporation’s facilities, and that the operations of the corporation under this section should be within its income derived from such operations and that such operations should be fully self-supporting. Nothing in this subchapter shall prohibit the corporation from purchasing, and making commitments to purchase, any mortgage with respect to which the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has entered into a contract with the corporation to make interest subsidy payments under section 1715z–8 of this title.

(2) The volume of the corporation’s lending activities and the establishment of its loan ratios, interest rates, maturities, and charges or fees, in its secondary market operations under this section, should be determined by the corporation from time to time; and such determinations, in conjunction with determinations made under paragraph (1), should be consistent with the objectives that the lending activities should be conducted on such terms as will reasonably prevent excessive use of the corporation’s facilities, and that the operations of the corporation under this section should be within its income derived from such operations and that such operations should be fully self-supporting. The corporation shall not be permitted to use its lending authority

(A) to advance funds to a mortgage seller on an interim basis, using mortgage loans as collateral, pending the sale of the mortgages in the secondary market; or

(B) to originate mortgage loans. Notwithstanding any Federal, State, or other law to the contrary, the corporation is empowered, in connection with any loan under this section, whether before or after any default, to provide by contract with the borrower for the settlement or extinguishment, upon default, of any redemption, equitable, legal, or other right, title, or interest of the borrower in any mortgage or mortgages that constitute the security for the loan; and with respect to any such loan, in the event of default and pursuant otherwise to the terms of the contract, the mortgages that constitute such security shall become the absolute property of the corporation.

(b) Obligations of the Corporation

For the purposes of this section, the corporation is authorized to issue, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, and have outstanding at any one time obligations having such maturities and bearing such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to be redeemable at the option of the corporation before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of its obligations issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such obligations, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation. The corporation is authorized to purchase in the open market any of its obligations outstanding under this subsection at any time and at any price.

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized in the Secretary’s discretion to purchase any obligations issued pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, as now or hereafter in force, and for such purpose the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to use as a public debt transaction the proceeds of the sale of any securities hereafter issued under chapter 31 of title 31, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are extended to include such purchases. The Secretary of the Treasury shall not at any time purchase any obligations under this subsection if such purchase would increase the aggregate principal amount of the Secretary’s then outstanding holdings of such obligations under this subsection to an amount greater than $2,250,000,000. Each purchase of obligations by the Secretary of the Treasury under this subsection shall be upon such terms and conditions as to yield a return at a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration the current average rate on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States as of the last day of the month preceding the making of such purchase. The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, sell, upon such terms and conditions and at such price or prices as the Secretary shall determine, any of the obligations acquired by the Secretary under this subsection. All redemptions, purchases, and sales by the Secretary of the Treasury of such obligations under this subsection shall be treated as public debt transactions of the United States.

(d) Mortgage-backed securities; issuance; maturities; rates of interest; exempt securities; adequacy of mortgages to permit principal and interest payments; statement in securities

To provide a greater degree of liquidity to the mortgage investment market and an additional means of financing its operations under this section, the corporation is authorized to set aside any mortgages held by it under this section, and, upon approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to issue and sell securities based upon the mortgages so set aside. Securities issued under this subsection may be in the form of debt obligations or trust certificates of beneficial interest, or both. Securities issued under this subsection shall have such maturities and bear such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Securities issued by the corporation under this subsection shall, to the same extent as securities which are direct obligations of or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States, be deemed to be exempt securities within the meaning of laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mortgages set aside pursuant to this subsection shall at all times be adequate to enable the corporation to make timely principal and interest payments on the securities issued and sold pursuant to this subsection. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of the securities issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such securities, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation.

(e) Subordinated or convertible obligations; issuance; maturities; rate of interest; redemption; exempt securities; debt or obligation of United States; purchases in open market

For the purposes of this section, the corporation is authorized to issue, upon the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, obligations which are subordinated to any or all other obligations of the corporation, including subsequent obligations. The obligations issued under this subsection shall have such maturities and bear such rate or rates of interest as may be determined by the corporation with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury and may be made redeemable at the option of the corporation before maturity in such manner as may be stipulated in such obligations. Any of such obligations may be made convertible into shares of common stock in such manner, at such price or prices, and at such time or times as may be stipulated therein. Obligations issued by the corporation under this subsection shall, to the same extent as securities which are direct obligations of or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, be deemed to be exempt securities within the meaning of laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The corporation shall insert appropriate language in all of its obligations issued under this subsection clearly indicating that such obligations, together with the interest thereon, are not guaranteed by the United States and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any agency or instrumentality thereof other than the corporation. The corporation is authorized to purchase in the open market any of its obligations outstanding under this subsection at any time and at any price.

(f) Prohibition on assessment or collection of fee or charge by United States

Except for fees paid pursuant to section 1723a (g) of this title and assessments pursuant to section 4516 of this title, no fee or charge may be assessed or collected by the United States (including any executive department, agency, or independent establishment of the United States) on or with regard to the purchase, acquisition, sale, pledge, issuance, guarantee, or redemption of any mortgage, asset, obligation, trust certificate of beneficial interest, or other security by the corporation. No provision of this subsection shall affect the purchase of any obligation by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(g) Temporary authority of Treasury to purchase obligations and securities; conditions

(1) Authority to purchase

(A) General authority

In addition to the authority under subsection (c) of this section, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to purchase any obligations and other securities issued by the corporation under any section of this chapter, on such terms and conditions as the Secretary may determine and in such amounts as the Secretary may determine. Nothing in this subsection requires the corporation to issue obligations or securities to the Secretary without mutual agreement between the Secretary and the corporation. Nothing in this subsection permits or authorizes the Secretary, without the agreement of the corporation, to engage in open market purchases of the common securities of the corporation.

(B) Emergency determination required

In connection with any use of this authority, the Secretary must determine that such actions are necessary to—

(i) provide stability to the financial markets;

(ii) prevent disruptions in the availability of mortgage finance; and

(iii) protect the taxpayer.

To protect the taxpayers, the Secretary of the Treasury shall take into consideration the following in connection with exercising the authority contained in this paragraph:

(i) The need for preferences or priorities regarding payments to the Government.

(ii) Limits on maturity or disposition of obligations or securities to be purchased.

(iii) The corporation’s plan for the orderly resumption of private market funding or capital market access.

(iv) The probability of the corporation fulfilling the terms of any such obligation or other security, including repayment.

(v) The need to maintain the corporation’s status as a private shareholder-owned company.

(vi) Restrictions on the use of corporation resources, including limitations on the payment of dividends and executive compensation and any such other terms and conditions as appropriate for those purposes.

(D) Reports to Congress

Upon exercise of this authority, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate as to the necessity for the purchase and the determinations made by the Secretary under subparagraph (B) and with respect to the considerations required under subparagraph (C), and the size, terms, and probability of repayment or fulfillment of other terms of such purchase.

(2) Rights; sale of obligations and securities

(A) Exercise of rights

The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with such purchases.

(B) Sale of obligation and securities

The Secretary of the Treasury may, at any time, subject to the terms of the security or otherwise upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell any obligation or security acquired by the Secretary under this subsection.

The authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to hold, exercise any rights received in connection with, or sell, any obligations or securities purchased is not subject to the provisions of paragraph (4).

(3) Funding

For the purpose of the authorities granted in this subsection, the Secretary of the Treasury may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of Title 31, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of Title 31 are extended to include such purchases and the exercise of any rights in connection with such purchases. Any funds expended for the purchase of, or modifications to, obligations and securities, or the exercise of any rights received in connection with such purchases under this subsection shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such purchase, modification, or exercise.

(4) Termination of authority

The authority under this subsection (g), with the exception of paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, shall expire December 31, 2009.

(5) Authority of the Director with respect to executive compensation

The Director shall have the power to approve, disapprove, or modify the executive compensation of the corporation, as defined under Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. 229.

[1] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 1719. Secondary market operations