A dirty little D.C. secret threatens to expand

Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) are governmentsponsored financial institutions that are extremely powerful yet seldom covered in the general media. But the recent formation of a group of private companies opposed to

It's fairly routine for big companies to join together to lobby in Washington. What makes this case interesting is that these corporations-including such heavyweights as GE, Chase Manhattan, and Wells Fargo-are decided underdogs They have clout, of course, but they are like the boxer in the classic comic nightmare: He's the main event in a small towy where his opponent, the referee, the judges, and the timekeeper all have the same last name.