Bush administration officials are considering plans for a government takeover of the two biggest mortgage companies in the U.S. if their current troubles worsen, according to The New York Times.
Tumbling shares and the ever-tightening credit crunch have stoked fears that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, already backed by the government, could collapse. Officials told the Times that the two firms were not considered to be in a crisis situation now, but that the government was planning for all possibilities.