BofA: $9.5b to settle Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac claims

Bank of America agreed Wednesday to pay $9.5 billion to settle claims by government-sponsored mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The settlement is compensation the two lenders demanded in exchange for losses on securities backed by faulty loans during the housing boom. Bank of America said the settlement would satisfy all claims against the bank by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The FHFA said Bank of America violated federal and state securities laws, along with Countrywide and Merrill Lynch. Under the agreement, Bank of America will pay $6.3 billion to Fannie and Freddie and repurchase residential mortgage-based securities worth $3.2 billion.