On July 12, 2002, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae announced that they would voluntarily register their common stock with the SEC in 2003, which will permanently require the companies to file periodic financial disclosures to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The unsecured debt and MBS of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will not be subject to the registration process, and there is no change in the SEC exemption that Congress provided for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's securities in the company's charter. Furthermore, the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to issue debt with "agency status" has not been altered as a result of voluntarily filing their common stock with the SEC. Since the status
