As of March 31 the Federal Reserve is no longer buying mortgage-backed securities (MBS), terminating a large component of its effort to stabilize and stimulate the economy. The Fed poured $1.25trn into purchasing risky bundles of housing loans, providing capital for troubled lenders and investors in the mortgage-backed market. The Fed’s purchasing program provided much-needed liquidity for government-run mortgage financing companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to buy bank loans issued to home buyers. The program also allowed mortgage rates to remain abnormally low, which let borrowers make more manageable payments and new home buyers to purchase properties. Indeed rates have been low: 30-year fixed mortgage rates at 5% interest and adjustable mortgage rates with interest in the low 4s.