The Association is authorized by section 302(c) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1717(c)) to create, accept, execute, and administer trusts and other fiduciary undertakings appropriate for financing purposes. Under this authority, the Association is authorized to acquire and otherwise deal in any mortgages or other types of obligations in which any department or agency of the United States listed in section 302(c)(2) of such Act may have a financial interest. Under its fiduciary powers, the Association may create, accept, and administer trusts consisting of interests in mortgages and obligations, sell to private investors certificates of beneficial interest, or participations, in the mortgages or obligations or in the interest and principal payments derived therefrom, and provide for payment of interest and principal and for retirement of the participations. The Association, in its ordinary corporate capacity as contrasted to its fiduciary capacity, is expressly authorized to guarantee the participations.

There is authority for Congress to appropriate such sums as may be necessary to enable the trustor of any trust (as described in § 340.1) to pay to the Association, as trustee, any insufficiency in aggregate receipts from the obligations subject to the trust to provide for the timely payment by the trustee of all interest or principal on the beneficial interests or participations related to such trust.