Christopher Burrell

Fannie and Freddie Can't Sell Their Debt

What exactly does selling debt mean? Is it like getting a loan? Why would you buy debt? It seems like this does not actually change the net value of the company and merely delays the financial consequences. Now, these companies were able to sell off a couple billion dollars worth of debt, but they have a couple hundred billion dollars worth of debt coming due next month. Does that mean they have to sell 100 fold more debt than they just did?