U.S. Fed buys $59.9 billion of mortgage bonds, sells $4.25 billion

NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) – – The Federal Reserve bought $59.909 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities in the week from Apr. 16 to Apr. 22, compared with $59.403 billion purchased the previous week, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said on Thursday.

In a move to help the housing market begun in October 2011, the U.S. central bank has been using funds from principal payments

on the agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, or MBS, it holds to reinvest in agency MBS.

The New York Fed said on its website the Fed sold $4.25 billion in mortgage securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae ,

Freddie Mac or the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae,

in the latest week. It sold $1 billion the prior week.