Definition of "Ginnie Mae"

Melody Smedick, Broker/Owner real estate agent

Written by

Melody Smedick, Broker/Ownerelite badge icon

Preferred Real Estate Group

Looking to understand what is Ginnie Mae? You’ve been hearing about it and knows not what it means. Let us help with the most succinct Ginnie Mae definition possible: Ginnie Mae is the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). It’s basically the phonetic sound of the initials. Say “GNMA” quickly and you get the “Ginnie Mae” sound.

The mission of Ginnie Mae is to fund high-risk mortgages for high-risk borrowers that are typically located in areas approved for government construction projects that have no other funding sources. The government body also offers guarantee mortgages issued by others, such as commercial banks, mortgage banks, and insurers.

You can’t tell Ginnie Mae’s history without talking about Fannie Mae. Ginnie Mae is almost like a younger sister or spiritual daughter of Fannie Mae. Here’s the timeline: Fannie Mae was founded in the 1930’s as a fully government-owned company, then became a mixed-ownership company, and then, in 1968, when it came time to go full private sector, the Government thought it was important to conserve a similar federal operation, thus spawning Ginnie Mae and making it part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to expand affordable housing finance. Ginnie Mae is the primary financing mechanism for all mortgage loans that are government-insured.

Real Estate Tips:

Don’t know if you qualify for Ginnie Mae and this whole names-galore – yes, because we didn’t even bring up the Freddie Mac definition to make it simple – is it making you confused? Reach out to a real estate agent and let him (or her!) point out the best direction for your case.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Average number of business days an office space is being used. ...

Document submitted to a governmental agency to extend the time period for a previously approved document. ...

model depicting on paper what a structure physically looks like. The dimensions are draw on a proportionate basis to the real thing. An example is a scale of an existing or proposed office ...

A map that shows land elevations. ...

Payment received after the due date. A penalty and/or interest may be charged on such payment. For example, a bank may charge a penalty of $25 if a mortgage payment is received after the ...

What does viz. mean? The meaning of viz. derives from the Latin word videlicet which is translated into English as namely, that is, which is, as follows. You may encounter it in legal ...

Lease payments based on factors other than the passage of time. ...

Ask Price is the initial listed price for a piece of real estate.It’s important to understand that, in the real estate world, there’s no such thing as a fixed price when buying ...

Written proposals and acceptances applicable to the aspects of the transaction. The escrow agent must follow the purchase and sale agreement. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions