Morgan Stanley in U.S. Treasury's Plan and Conservatorship for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Cleary Gottlieb acted for Morgan Stanley, which was in turn the advisor to the United States Treasury, in connection with the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac described in the press as “the most dramatic market intervention in years.”

As detailed in an announcement by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on September 7, the two companies have been placed into conservatorship. As a result, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s regulator, has gained management control of the companies. Treasury has also established preferred stock purchase agreements with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under which Treasury could be required to provide as much as $100 billion to each of the companies, established a new secured lending credit facility for the companies, and initiated a temporary program to purchase Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s mortgage backed securities in the open market.