Helping Consumers Make Good Mortgage Choices

In addition to helping set standards for sound mortgage lending, Freddie Mac also strives to help borrowers make good mortgage choices.

Don’t Borrow Trouble®

Our Don’t Borrow Trouble® consumer awareness campaign helps consumers avoid predatory lending practices, such as being charged excessive points and fees, or becoming a victim of deceitful lending practices. Since 2000, we have conducted Don’t Borrow Trouble campaigns in almost 50 cities and states throughout the country. These campaigns have assisted more than 100,000 consumers across the U.S. about how to avoid predatory lending practices.

Multilingual Credit Education Curriculum

Another way we assist consumers is through our suite of multilingual credit education curriculum, CreditSmart®, CreditSmart Espanol and CreditSmart Asian. These programs are designed to give consumers information on establishing and maintaining good credit, the steps to homeownership, avoiding credit traps, and the benefits and responsibilities of owning a home.

More resources:

• Buying and Owning a Home, our online guide to the homeownership process, including obtaining a mortgage, the importance of good credit, and how to avoid predatory lenders and foreclosure, in both English and Spanish.
• Affordable mortgage products for people with less-than-perfect credit through our mortgage lenders:
  • Affordable Merit Rate mortgages
  • A-minus mortgages
  • Home Possible® 100 mortgages
  • Home Possible 97 mortgages
  • Home Possible Neighborhood Solution 100 mortgages
  • Home Possible Neighborhood Solution 97 mortgages
  • Enhancements to our Loan Prospector® automated underwriting service that expand the number of loans serving low- and moderate-income borrowers or borrowers living in underserved areas that are eligible for purchase to us from mortgage lenders.