Here’s what privatization of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac may mean for your

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the two giant mortgage finance firms controlled by the federal government for nearly 17 years — could be sold off into the private sector.

During President Donald Trump’s first term, the White House attempted to release the Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, known as Freddie Mac, into the private market. It didn’t materialize because of the complexity, according to experts.

While Trump hasn’t talked about the idea to sell off the government’s shares into the private market, the topic is bubbling up now in Trump’s second term. It could lead to higher mortgage rates and risk for investors, experts warn.

In January, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Treasury Department agreed to amend the senior preferred stock purchase agreements between the Treasury and  and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, each government-sponsored enterprises, to ensure their eventual release from conservatorship.

Experts are torn about how the release of the GSEs will be handled, when it will happen and if the government will continue to somewhat oversee the mortgage giants after-the-fact.

Ultimately, the release from the government-backing for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s will come down to what Trump prioritizes during his second term. And even then, there could be drawbacks, experts say.

“It really ultimately depends on what President Trump wants to do or not do,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.

“Even then though, I think they’ll be repelled from actually getting it done because the economics will become apparent that this makes no sense,” Zandi added.

Here’s what to know.