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Corporate Governance FAQ

  1) How do I contact members of the board?
  2) How many directors are on the board?
  3) How often do your directors stand for re-election to the board?
  4) How do I nominate someone to the board?
  5) Are most of your directors independent?
  6) Does the board of directors have a lead outside director?
  7) Are the positions of chairman and CEO separated?
  8) Do the outside members of the board meet in executive sessions without members of
      management?
  9) What is the role of the board in strategic planning and other matters?
10) When will you hold your next stockholders' meeting?
11) When did Freddie Mac register its equity securities with the Securities and Exchange
      Commission?
12) Is Freddie Mac Sarbanes-Oxley compliant?
13) What is the committee structure of the board, what is each committee responsible for, who is
      on the committees, and how often do they meet?
14) Does Freddie Mac have a Code of Conduct?
15) Does Freddie Mac have Governance Guidelines?


1) How do I contact members of the board?

Correspondence to the board members may be addressed to:

Corporate Secretary
Freddie Mac
8200 Jones Branch Drive MS 204
McLean, Virginia 22102

See Contact the board of directors for additional information.



2) How many directors are on the board?

The statute that established Freddie Mac as a stockholder-owned corporation specifies that Freddie Mac is to have a board of directors consisting of 18 directors, with 13 directors elected by the stockholders and 5 appointed by the President of the United States. Prior to our March 31, 2004 annual meeting, the Office of Counsel to the President informed us that the President did not intend to reappoint any of his then-current presidential appointees. No new appointees have been named by the President as of this date. We currently have eleven directors serving on the Board. Our Board is working to identify candidates with the appropriate knowledge, experience and skill sets to fill the two vacancies.



3) How often do your directors stand for re-election to the Board?

Directors are elected by the stockholders for terms that run from one Freddie Mac stockholders' meeting to the next stockholders' meeting.



4) How do I nominate someone to the Board?

Stockholder nominations of candidates for election as directors must be submitted in writing to the corporate secretary, Freddie Mac, 8200 Jones Branch Drive MS 200, McLean, Virginia 22102 in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.03 of Freddie Mac's bylaws. In addition to the notice requirement, stockholders must meet certain eligibility criteria in order to submit nominees, and must provide certain information concerning a nominee. Additional details on the director nomination process and procedural requirements [PDF 32K] in connection with the June 6, 2008 annual stockholders' meeting are available on Freddie Mac's Web site.  Additional details on the director nomination process and procedural requirements in connection with our 2009 annual stockholders' meeting have been outlined in our 2008 Proxy Statement.

All nominations submitted by stockholders that meet these requirements are evaluated by the Governance, Nominating and Risk Oversight Committee in the same way as potential nominees from other sources, including recommendations by the board, senior management and professional search firms.



5) Are most of your directors independent?

The board makes annual determinations concerning the independence of its directors under Freddie Mac's Corporate Governance Guidelines and publishes those determinations in Freddie Mac's proxy statement. As disclosed on the list of current members of the board of directors, the board has determined that all of the current outside directors are independent.



6) Does the board of directors have a lead outside director?

Yes. On June 6, 2008, the board of directors elected Thomas Johnson to serve as lead director, through Freddie Mac's next stockholders' meeting.

The Lead Director is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Outside Directors and has the responsibilities as outlined by our Policy on Roles of Lead Director.



7) Are the positions of chairman and CEO separated?

Richard F. Syron was named by the board to serve as chairman and chief executive officer, effective December 31, 2003. Freddie Mac has committed to OFHEO to separate the positions of chairman and CEO within a reasonable period of time.



8) Do the outside members of the board meet in executive sessions without members of management?

Yes, Freddie Mac's outside directors meet in executive session, without members of management, during regular meetings of the board and at any other times that the lead director or a majority of the outside directors deem appropriate.



9) What is the role of the board in strategic planning and other matters?

The primary responsibility of members of the board of directors is to oversee the business of Freddie Mac by advancing the interests of the company's stockholders and the company's public mission. In fulfilling this role, some of the specific functions of the board are to:

  • Oversee the development of corporate strategy and monitor its implementation.
  • Promote ethical conduct on the part of the corporation and oversee its compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the integrity of its financial disclosures.
  • Select and evaluate the chief executive officer and plan for the CEO's succession.
  • Oversee the establishment and implementation of effective corporate governance processes.


10) When will you hold your next stockholders' meeting?

Freddie Mac held its most recent stockholders' meeting on June 6, 2008. The Board of Directors has not set the date of the 2009 annual stockholders' meeting. We will release information concerning that meeting as soon as the date is set by the Board.



11) When did Freddie Mac register its equity securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission?

The company registered its common stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 18, 2008. Freddie Mac files its period financial disclosure documents with the SEC via the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system.

Prior to Freddie Mac's voluntary registration of its common stock with the SEC on July 18, 2008, Freddie Mac did not file financial reports with the SEC and instead prepared Annual Information Statements and Quarterly Information Statement Supplements in lieu of Forms 10-K and 10-Q, respectively, which are available from the company's Investor Relations Department or on-line at Freddie Mac's website.



12) Is Freddie Mac Sarbanes-Oxley compliant?

Freddie Mac is compliant with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that currently apply to it.



13) What is the committee structure of the Board, what is each committee responsible for, who is on the committees, and how often do they meet?

The board of directors has five standing committees and creates other committees as needed. The standing committees are Audit, Compensation and Human Resources, Finance and Capital Deployment, Governance, Nominating and Risk Oversight, and Mission, Sourcing and Technology. View information on the duties and responsibilities of the Committees.



14) Does Freddie Mac have a Code of Conduct?

Freddie Mac has had a strong Code of Conduct for many years. The current versions of the Code of Conduct that apply to employees and to directors are available on this website. In 2004, the board of directors strengthened the Codes to ensure that they meet the highest standards of today's corporate governance and comply fully with the applicable requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley and the NYSE corporate governance rules. In June of 2005 and February 2008, the board of directors approved revisions to the Code for employees that make it easier to read and generally more accessible (conforming changes were also made to the Code of Conduct for the board of directors).


15) Does Freddie Mac have Governance Guidelines?

The board has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines [PDF 52K], including director independence standards, which comply with the requirements of the NYSE corporate governance rules.


© 2008 Freddie Mac