Freddie Mac reported it earned its second-largest profit ever during the second quarter, $5 billion, and said yesterday that it will make another $4.4 billion dividend payment to the U.S. Treasury, the Washington Post reported today. The latest payment will bring to $41 billion the amount that the mortgage finance company has returned to taxpayers so far. Freddie Mac still owes about $30 billion. A stronger economy is also keeping more borrowers out of trouble: Only 2.79 percent of borrowers with loans backed by Freddie Mac were seriously delinquent during the second quarter, compared with 3.03 percent during the same period last year. Freddie Mac, which was seized by the government during the 2008 financial crisis, reported that if current positive housing trends continue, it could make an additional payment to the Treasury this year.
