From Reuters:

The U.S. Treasury is growing increasingly likely to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the months ahead on the taxpayer’s dime, Barron’s reported in its August 18 edition.

The weekly financial newspaper said that such a move could wipe out existing holders of the agencies’ common stock, with preferred shareholders and even holders of the two entities’ $19 billion of subordinated debt also suffering losses.

An insider in the Bush administration told Barron’s that Fannie and Freddie “are being jawboned” by the Treasury Department and their new regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to raise more equity.

But government officials don’t expect the agencies to succeed, Barron’s reported.

With the stock prices for both Fannie and Freddie hovering just north of nothing, the cost of both companies to raise capital without governmental assistance is absolutely prohibitive.

Which means that its going to be the US taxpayer that ends up footing the bill for this one.