Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a House of Representatives panel on Wednesday the U.S. economy is going through a "rough time" and urged lawmakers to approve Treasury Department proposals to back up mortgage markets.

AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday ailing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "in no danger of failing," helping fuel a big boost in the troubled finance sector as fears of a deeper crisis eased.

AP - The FBI is investigating failed bank IndyMac Bancorp Inc. for possible fraud, an official said Wednesday of the government's latest target following the collapse of the nation's subprime mortgage market.

AP - For years, mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac tenaciously worked to nurture, and then protect, their financial empires by invoking the political sacred cow of homeownership and fielding an army of lobbyists, power brokers and political contributors.

Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) -Investors bought back into shares of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Wednesday, after reassuring results from big mortgage lender Wells Fargo helped ease concerns about the impact of the credit crisis on the U.S. economy.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in "no danger of failing."

AFP - Ailing mortgage finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "in no danger of failing" but are having trouble raising capital due to falling share prices, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday.

Reuters - The FBI's investigation into potential corporate fraud in the U.S. home mortgage industry now encompasses 21 companies, up from 19 reported in April, a bureau spokesman said on Wednesday.