U.S. Fed buys $25.7 billion of mortgage bonds, sells none

NEW YORK, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve bought $25.682 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities in the week from Sep. 10 to Sep. 16, compared with $29.69 billion purchased the previous week, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said on Thursday.

In a move to help the housing market begun in October 2011, the U.S. central bank has been using funds from principal payments

on the agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, it holds to reinvest in agency MBS.

The New York Fed said on its website the Fed sold no mortgage securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae ,

Freddie Mac or the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae, in the latest week. It sold $8 billion the prior week.

((New York Treasury Desk +1-646-223-6300))