Fair Value Fair Value Option (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Mortgage loans held for investment, at fair value	$ 11,683	$ 12,057
Fair value of nonaccrual loans	196	200
Difference between unpaid principal balance and the fair value of nonaccrual loans	36	34
Fair value of loans that are 90 days or more past due	148	152
Difference between unpaid principal balance and the fair value of these 90 days or more past due loans	$ 27	$ 25
Single-family [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Serious delinquency, days past due	90 days	90 days
Fannie Mae [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Long-term debt, fair value	$ 9,162	$ 9,582
Consolidated Trusts [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Long-term debt, fair value	36,372	36,524
Loans [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Loans, unpaid principal balance	11,313	11,688
Long-term debt [Member] \| Fannie Mae [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Long-term debt, unpaid principal balance	8,504	9,090
Long-term debt [Member] \| Consolidated Trusts [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Long-term debt, unpaid principal balance	$ 32,927	$ 33,055

Represents principal amount outstanding of loans held for investment.

No definition available.

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- Definition

Represents the number of days past due required for a loan to be considered seriously delinquent.

+ References

No definition available.

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- Definition

Amount, before unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but is not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, commercial loans, mortgage loans, convertible debt, subordinated debt and other types of debt.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(22))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03(16))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

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- Definition

This item represents the aggregate fair value of loans held as assets that are 90 days or more past due for which the fair value option has been elected.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (e)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612

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- Definition

For loans held as assets for which the fair value option has been elected, this item represents the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance of those loans that are 90 days or more past due.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (e)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612

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- Definition

This item represents the aggregate fair value of loans held as assets that are in nonaccrual status for which the fair value option has been elected, if the entity's policy is to recognize interest income separately from other changes in fair value.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (e)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612

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- Definition

+ References

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (e)(3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957238&loc=d3e14064-108612

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- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Fair value portion of loan receivable, including, but not limited to, mortgage loans held for investment, finance receivables held for investment, policy loans on insurance contracts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 10
-Glossary Loan
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6517073

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- Definition

The fair value amount of long-term debt whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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