The Latest Breaking News from Freddie

A few years after risky mortgages and related investments led to a global financial collapse, the Federal Reserve put out a handbook to help consumers make smarter choices about their home loan options. The focus was on adjustable-rate mortgages, whose exotic variants were among the prime culprits in the meltdown.

In the wake of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida last year, the two federally chartered agencies that back most residential mortgages in the country, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, have instituted new rules requiring lenders to verify the condition of condominium buildings before approving loans.

Investors who have owned stocks over the last year have generally experienced some decent gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 SPY (NYSE: SPY) total return over the last 12 months is 15.3%. But there is no question some big-name stocks performed better than others along the way.