How Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Could Push Mortgage Rates Lower — at Least Temporarily

January 16, 2026

Marketplace.org, Jan. 16, 2026-Justin Ho
President Donald Trump recently announced that he’s ordering the government-backed mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to purchase $200 billion-worth of mortgage-backed securities. Trump said the move is meant to push down mortgage rates.

In the time since that announcement average rates on 30-year fixed mortgages have ticked slightly lower, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association — although they’d been trending lower before the president’s announcement, too.
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