The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation establishes a secondary market for loans extended to borrowers across the United States. Its activities are structured into four primary segments: 1. Farm & Ranch: This division procures and holds first-lien mortgages on agricultural real estate, converts eligible mortgages into securities, assures the prompt payment of both interest and principal on these pooled securities, and provides long-term commitments to acquire specific eligible mortgage loans. 2. USDA Guarantees: Through this segment, the corporation purchases segments of agricultural and rural development loans that have been guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture. 3. Rural Utilities: Here, the company acquires and backs securities tied to loans provided by cooperative lenders for electric or telecommunications infrastructure. It also directly buys eligible rural utilities loans, offers guarantees for securities associated with these loans, and issues long-term standby purchase commitments for collections of such loans. 4. Institutional Credit: This segment focuses on guaranteeing and purchasing general obligations from lenders and other financial entities. These obligations must be secured by pools of loans that meet the criteria of the corporation's Farm & Ranch, USDA Guarantees, or Rural Utilities business areas. Founded in 1987, the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation is based in Washington, D.C.