Score one for transparency.

Time was that bamboo shoots under the fingernails couldn't get Freddie or Fannie to fess up that they owned this mortgage or that one.  As a representative of a government regulatory agency I once fought with a Freddie Mac official for an hour over a request for confirmation that it held a lien on a property senior to the one we held.  I retired to my corner defeated.

But the mortgage mess has forced both GSEs to open their books and now a homeowner can find out to whom they actually owe money.  I would like to think that this is in response to a growing openness in government or because the feds are actually reigning in the companies under their custodianship.  More likely it is a defense against a staggering number of requests from people seeking help with their delinquent mortgages.

Whatever.  The important thing is that several weeks ago a little button appeared on the home page of Freddie's website (www.freddiemac.com) that links to a page where a homeowner or authorized representative can enter a street address and immediately discover if their mortgage is Freddie's.  This past week a similar feature was added to the Fannie Mae home page (www.fanniemae.com.)   This is of no help if your mortgage is among those that were bundled up and sold by investment banks without Freddie and Fannie's involvement, but at least it narrows down the choices.