Freddie Mac Seeks $100 Million in U.S. Aid as Third-Quarter Loss Narrows

Freddie Mac, the mortgage-finance company operating under federal conservatorship, requested $100 million in U.S. Treasury Department aid after reporting a narrower loss for the third quarter.

The company reported a loss of $4.1 billion for the three months ended Sept. 30, including $1.6 billion owed to Treasury as a dividend payment on the federal government’s 80 percent stake, McLean, Virginia-based Freddie Mac said today in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Freddie Mac requested $1.8 billion from Treasury when it reported a $6 billion loss in the second quarter.

The government-sponsored company’s fifth straight quarterly loss and corresponding request for aid adds to the $63 billion in taxpayer support Freddie Mac has received since September 2008, when it was seized along with larger rival Fannie Mae at the height of the credit crisis.

Including today’s request, Freddie and Washington-based Fannie have received more than $148 billion from Treasury and returned $14.6 billion in dividends.