Freddie Mac Ranked Among "Best Corporate Citizens"

The annual survey of the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" in the United States recently released by CRO magazine ranks Freddie Mac in 28th place. The closely watched survey has gained national recognition as an indicator of best practices in the area of corporate responsibility.

Now in its 8th year, the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list identifies companies that excel at serving a variety of stakeholders well. The list is drawn from more than 1,100 of the largest U.S. publicly traded companies.

Freddie Mac joins Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Nike (NYSE: NKE), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM), Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), The Timberland Company (NYSE: TBL), Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) and General Mills (NYSE: GIS) on the list.

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list was developed by Business Ethics magazine, which was incorporated last year into The CRO (www.thecro.com), a premier membership organization for Corporate Responsibility Officers. In addition to its flagship publication, CRO magazine, The CRO offers members a variety of multimedia content including annual conferences, webinars, e-newsletters and original online material.

"The 100 Best distinguish themselves from their peers at other large public companies by embracing higher standards – combining strong financial performance with responsible practices on environmental and social issues," said Michael Connor, Publisher and Editor of CRO magazine. "We salute the 100 Best for their leadership roles in the field of corporate responsibility."

The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list uses data from Socrates, the online social research database created by KLD Research & Analytics in Boston, an independent research firm serving investment management professionals, to put a numerical rating on companies' service to various stakeholders.

The companies considered for the list include U.S. firms in the Russell 1000, the S&P 500, and the Domini 400 Social Index. These firms are ranked on service in eight stakeholder categories: shareholders, community, governance, diversity, employees, environment, human rights, and product. Social scores use KLD's assessment of "strengths" and "concerns" demonstrated in each category. The shareholder score is based on three-year average total return (stock appreciation plus dividends) through year-end 2006.

More details regarding the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list are available on the CRO web site at www.thecro.com.