As government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must achieve certain statutory objectives. Working Papers in Housing Finance, a new series sponsored by HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research, will address a variety of topics related to the mortgage market, and particularly to these two GSEs. In the first three working papers, data on mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are used to examine conventional and FHA-insured mortgages in the primary and secondary markets.

• Characteristics of Mortgages Purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, 1993-95, looks at GSE performance in funding affordable loans for lower income families and other disadvantaged borrowers.

• The GSEs' Funding of Affordable Loans uses Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data involving GSE mortgage purchases in metropolitan areas from 1992-95. It compares mortgages originating in the conventional loan market with mortgages retained in portfolios by banks and thrifts.

• The Multifamily Secondary Mortgage Market: The Role of Government-Sponsored Enterprises evaluates Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's effectiveness and their potential to enhance the liquidity and efficiency of the affordable, multifamily housing mortgage market.