Freddie Mac bought $10.09 billion worth of mortgages last month, which increased its portfolio to $715.4 billion for an annualized growth rate of 17.2%, the Associated Press reports.  The last time Freddie Mac got this hungry for mortgages was in November of last year.

Freddie Mac spokesman Michael Cosgrove told the AP that the federally chartered company wanted to take advantage of a "modest widening of mortgage debt spreads." Freddie Mac's main purpose in life is to keep the mortgage market liquid by buying mortgages from banks to free up more money for home loans.  Freddie Mac keeps some of the loans it buys and repackages others into mortgage securities to be sold.

Freeing up some money for new home loans is a good thing right now, since according to reports earlier this week from the Commerce Department and the National Association of Realtors home sales are climbing.  New mortgage applications should shoot up soon too.