Freddie Mac income $2.3B in 3Q

The government rescued Freddie and larger sibling Fannie Mae at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008, after they suffered huge losses from risky mortgages in the housing market bust.

Record-low interest rates this year have helped spur home purchases and boost the housing market.

A government report on Friday showed that gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, grew at annual rate of 2.9 percent in the third quarter, shaking off a lackluster first half and accelerating to its strongest growth in two years.

Despite the low borrowing rates that could lure prospective homebuyers, the market has remained hampered by tight mortgage credit, rising home prices and stagnating incomes.