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CreditSmart® is more than a tool

It’s part of our mission.

Freddie Mac was chartered in 1970 to help keep the economy stable and expand access to housing. By creating accessible education that helps you understand credit and how to manage your money, we’re doing more than helping you achieve your financial goals. We’re helping you support the economy in your community—where you live, work and spend your money.

The work we’ve done

We worked with communities across the country—from historically black colleges and universities to Hispanic and Asian leaders and housing professionals—to create accessible education that works for real people like you, on your terms. See how our growing community partnerships have helped CreditSmart evolve.

2021

CreditSmart turns 20

Piggy Bank wearing a party hat
  • In celebration of our 20th Anniversary, we revamped the CreditSmart Essentials and CreditSmart Coach learning paths

2020

New name, comprehensive education

Doormat
  • CreditSmart® Steps to Homeownership relaunched as CreditSmart® Homebuyer U

2018

More inclusive content

icon of a small town
  • Freddie Mac develops its Instructor Training webinar series in Español

2016

Salute to our military

Service member sitting with child
  • Freddie Mac introduces the CreditSmart Military Module

2011

A decade of CreditSmart

Piggy bank siting behind a birthday cake
  • CreditSmart celebrates ten years of financial education
  • Freddie Mac launches “Get the Facts on Foreclosure” YouTube video series to help consumers dispel common myths on foreclosure
  • CreditSmart reaches more than 3 million consumers across 44 states

2008

Something for instructors

Instructor and students in a classroom
  • Freddie Mac develops its Instructor Training webinar series.

2007

New year, new content

Man and child sitting in front of a laptop
  • CreditSmart Asian officially launches
  • Freddie Mac introduces a 12th module entitled Preserving Homeownership: Protecting Your Home Investment

2006

CreditSmart Asian

Freddie Mac announces the following collaborating organizations to help plan and develop CreditSmart Asian:

Several logos of collaborating organizations in CreditSmart Asian
  • Asian American for Equality (AAFE)
  • Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD)
  • National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
  • Boat People SOS (BPSOS)
  • National Congress of Vietnamese Americans (NCVA)
  • National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)
  • Freddie Mac and its collaborating organizations reach over 1 million consumers in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with its CreditSmart and CreditSmart Español curriculums.

2005

Broadening our reach

Man sitting in front of laptop
  • CreditSmart expands its reach to 25 states through collaborating organizations’ initiatives
  • CreditSmart Español expands its reach to 13 states through collaborating organizations’ initiatives

2004

Spreading knowledge

dry erase board with message
  • Thirty organizations and 500 Freddie Mac designated trainers teach CreditSmart workshops to 23,000 consumers at 400 sites

2002

CreditSmart Español

Freddie Mac, with the following collaborating organizations, create and officially launch CreditSmart Español:

Logos of collaborating organizations in CreditSmart Español
  • Cuban American National Council (CNC)
  • Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
  • League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
  • National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)
  • National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
  • National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC)
  • United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI)
  • U.S. Coast Guard joins Freddie Mac in its efforts to increase financial literacy through CreditSmart.
  • Two new modules are introduced, Banking Services: An important Step and Becoming a Homeowner.

2001

CreditSmart is born

piggy bank with pacifier
  • CreditSmart officially launches on July 26, 2001

2000

Testing the waters

  • 24,000 low- to moderate-income consumers surveyed on their credit habits and achieved 60% response rate
  • CreditSmart curriculum is piloted at collaborating organization’s sites and community locations
  • Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s One Thousand Churches Connected joins Freddie Mac in its efforts to increase financial literacy through CreditSmart®
  • PBS’ MoneyWise joins Freddie Mac in its efforts to increase financial literacy through CreditSmart by expanding the curriculum reach to 172 PBS stations nationwide, and 129 stations in 12 countries on the Armed Forces Network
  • External financial education advisory council is formed

1999

The first partners

Freddie Mac announces the following collaborating organizations to help create a financial education curriculum:

set of logos that show freddie mac's first partners
  • Benedict College
  • Clark Atlanta University
  • Florida A&M University
  • Howard University
  • St. Augustine College

1998

Where it all started

Freddie Mac creates a new financial education initiative.