US Government to secure mortgage market with gold reserves
Lee Jones - 19-Sep-2008
The U.S. Treasury Department has promised “hundreds of billions” to save the US markets using its own gold reserves.

President Bush approved the use of existing authorities by Treasury secretary Hank Paulson to make available as necessary the assets of the Exchange Stabilisation Fund for up to $50 billion to buy more illiquid mortgage assets.
When the Government bailed out the the Government Sponsored Enterprises it promised to buy illiquid mortgage backed securities, but this announcement extends that pledge.

The ESF was created after the Great Depression and uses the US gold reserve as collateral for financial stability.