Segment Reporting (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

We have two reportable business segments: Single-Family and Multifamily. The Single-Family business operates in the secondary mortgage market relating to loans secured by properties containing four or fewer residential dwelling units. The Multifamily business operates in the secondary mortgage market relating primarily to loans secured by properties containing five or more residential units. We describe the management reporting and allocation process used to generate our segment results in “Note 12, Segment Reporting.”

We have two reportable business segments: Single-Family and Multifamily. Our CEO is the chief operating decision maker and allocates resources and assesses performance based on these two business segments. In the fourth quarter of 2016, our CEO changed the way he allocates resources and evaluates operating results. This change resulted in realigning the composition of our reportable business segments to incorporate the activities of the Capital Markets group, which was previously a separate reportable business segment, into the Single-Family or Multifamily segments. The Capital Markets group’s activities relating to single-family mortgage assets were incorporated into the Single-Family segment, and its activities relating to multifamily mortgage assets were incorporated into the Multifamily segment. Mortgage assets, debt funding those assets and associated revenues and expenses previously reported in the Capital Markets group segment are now reported in the Single-Family or Multifamily segments based on whether the underlying mortgage asset is a single-family or multifamily mortgage asset. Administrative expenses previously reported in the Capital Markets group segment have been allocated either directly, where applicable, or indirectly, based on the size of each segment’s mortgage credit book of business. Results of our two business segments are intended to reflect each segment as if it were a stand-alone business. Under our new segment reporting, we have no reconciling items; therefore, the sum of the results for our two business segments equals our consolidated results of operations. We have revised the presentation of our segment results for prior years to be consistent with the current year presentation.