Reuters - Investors unloaded shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Tuesday after a credit agency cut the mortgage finance companies' ratings amid fears that a government rescue plan may come at the expense of embattled shareholders.

AP - Questions and answers about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and their role in the mortgage market:

Reuters - The shares of major U.S. banks plunged on Monday amid fears about the sector's stability following Friday's seizure by regulators of IndyMac Bancorp Inc as withdrawals by panicked depositors led to the third- largest U.S. banking failure.

Reuters - U.S. stocks fell on Monday as worry about the health of the U.S. banking sector after Friday's collapse of IndyMac outweighed earlier optimism over the government's plan to stabilize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .

Reuters - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp has temporarily halted any foreclosures on the $15 billion of bank-owned mortgage loans found in IndyMac's portfolio, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said on Monday.

AP - Wall Street extended its slump into yet another week Monday as investors worried that even a safety net set up for mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't head off further troubles in the financial markets.

AFP - The dollar firmed slightly against the euro Monday after Washington moved to bolster ailing mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dealers said.

Reuters - Buyers showed no hesitation in bidding on Freddie Mac's $3 billion debt sale on Monday, just hours after the U.S. government pledged support for the nation's top mortgage finance agencies, but the steps failed to stem growing alarm on Wall Street.

AP - Now that the federal government has thrown a lifeline to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers could be on the hook for billions more if the crisis of confidence spreads.