Final Note

Fannie, Freddie executive pay and the STOCK Act

Kai Ryssdal Nov 15, 2011

Getting back to the Occupy movement we started with and two stories about how things work in this country.

First of all, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-owned mortgage giants. Today the House Financial Services Committee voted to put a stop to the multimillion dollar bonuses Fannie and Freddie executives have been getting. I said government owned ’cause taxpayers bailed ’em out to the tune of $180 billion just as the financial crisis was getting going.

Also, if you happened to see “60 Minutes” this past Sunday and their story about how lawmakers can trade on pretty much any information they get — insider or not — you’ll be interested to hear the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2011, that is the STOCK Act — clever, huh? — was introduced in the Senate today.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.