Freddie Mac says it will ask for about $30B to $35B

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said Friday it will need an additional $30 billion to $35 billion in government aid as it copes with losses on loans the company backed during the U.S. housing bubble.

The company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing late Friday that it expects its government regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to make the request from the Treasury Department.

It comes on top of the $13.8 billion the company received last year after it was seized by the government. Sibling company Fannie Mae has yet to request any such aid but has warned it may need to do so.

Federal regulators seized control of both companies in September after they faced mounting losses from the housing market's bust. An agreement with the Treasury Department allows the government to invest up to $100 billion in each company.



The actual amount of the request will reflect the amount of losses the company sustained in the fourth quarter, Freddie Mac said in the filing.

The request suggests that losses are continuing for Freddie Mac, which posted a loss of $25.3 billion for the third quarter. In that report, Freddie Mac said that rising unemployment rates, tightening credit and deteriorating economic conditions caused the number of delinquent loans to rise, including prime loans made to borrowers with strong credit.

Meanwhile, Freddie Mac also disclosed that it settled a dispute with JP Morgan Chase & Co., which will now collect payments on mortgages previously handled by failed thrift Washington Mutual. The agreement settles a dispute with JPMorgan, which purchased Washington Mutual in late September for $1.9 billion.