indirect government obligation

Agency Securities

1. Debt instruments issued by government sponsored entities, especially mortgage-backed securities from Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Because each of those organizations is sponsored by the U.S. government, agency securities are implicitly guaranteed, and, in the case of Ginnie Mae, are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. As such, agency securities have historically had high credit ratings, though they were criticized for an alleged role in the 2007-08 credit crunch.

2. An alternative term for government sponsored entities.

indirect government obligation

See federal agency security.