Freddie Mac, The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, is a shareholder-owned corporation chartered by the US Congress to keep money flowing to mortgage lenders in support of home ownership and rental housing. The company purchases single-family and multi-family residential mortgages from lenders and packages them into securities that are sold to investors. Ultimately, this enables homeowners and renters access to lower housing costs and better access to home financing. Since its inception in 1970, Freddie Mac has purchased more than 35m mortgages.