WOUNDED SOLDIERS, FAMILIES AIDED WITH FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Freddie Mac Funds Initiative With CCCS, HSBC to Help Soldiers and Families

Washington, DC – "Operation Welcome Home," a military assistance initiative from CCCS of Greater Washington (CCCS), along with Freddie Mac and HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA) (HSBC), will help injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and their families address the financial issues they face as they prepare to re-enter civilian society. In addition, the rapidly escalating cost of housing in the Washington, D.C. area poses significant challenges to veterans seeking to purchase their first home.

"Operation Welcome Home" features a Credit Clinic in which CCCS of Greater Washington, a division of Money Management International (MMI), helps soldiers review their credit report in one-on-one counseling sessions, identify inaccuracies on the report and work towards improving credit scores.

CCCS will provide educational seminars on timely financial topics such as credit, interest rates, preventing identity theft, budgeting and money management. Additionally, CCCS will provide housing counseling and pre-purchase classes on-site at Walter Reed, connecting soldiers to the housing subsidy programs offered by Federal, state and local governments.

Representatives from HSBC Mortgage Corporation's newly opened Washington, D.C. office are available to visit the hospital and to work with soldiers and their families in obtaining a mortgage, as well as answer banking questions. HSBC can help families achieve the American Dream of homeownership through a variety of affordable mortgage programs. HSBC offers Freddie Mac's Home Possible Mortgage, which allows borrowers to invest as little as $500 toward the purchase of a home. Freddie Mac, one of the nation's largest residential mortgage investors, will purchase eligible mortgages from HSBC.

"Being able to help those who have bravely served our country achieve their dreams is an honor," said Laura Taylor, director of Education and Community Relations for CCCS. "We are committed to educating wounded soldiers, and all military personnel, so that they are prepared to purchase homes, plan for their future and meet all their financial goals."

"Severely injured soldiers face significant financial, as well as health-based challenges when re-entering civilian society," said Craig Nickerson, vice president of Expanding Markets for Freddie Mac. "Many of these individuals started serving their country at a young age and have not had the time and/or resources to effectively plan for their post-service financial future."

"Homeownership is the best way to assist our returning soldiers in securing their futures," said Patricia Harrison, vice president of Business and Community Development for HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA). "With financial education, guidance and the link to homeownership, soldiers will strengthen their financial wherewithal as they transition to civilian life."

About Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Washington, Inc., (CCCS) a division on Money Management International, is a non-profit, full-service credit-counseling agency, providing confidential financial guidance, counseling and debt management assistance to consumers for more than 47 years. CCCS helps consumers trim their expenses, develop a spending plan and repay debts. Counseling is available by appointment in branch offices and 24/7 by telephone and Internet. Services are available in multiple languages. To learn more, call 800-762-2271 or visit their Web site at www.moneymanagement.org.

About Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt instruments in the capital markets. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and four million renters in America.

About HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA)

HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA), a wholly–owned subsidiary of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., is a member of one the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world - The HSBC Group has some 9,800 offices in 77 territories. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, HSBC Mortgage Corporation (USA) has a mortgage servicing portfolio of approximately $70 billion ranking 20th in the U.S. It funds third party loans in the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia. HSBC is also a Freddie Mac Premier Lender, ranking one of six in the nation. Please visit us.hsbc.com or call 888-313-724.

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