David Kellermann found dead, Broderick say is under "active investigation."

NEW YORK(Dow Jones)--

The acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac (FRE), David Kellermann, was found dead at his home early Wednesday, according to Fairfax County police.

There were "no signs of foul play," said Officer Shelley Broderick of the Fairfax County Police Department. She said police found Kellermann's body after responding to a call made at 4:48 a.m.

Kellermann's wife told local police he committed suicide, Washington, D.C., television station WUSA reported, citing sheriff's deputies in Fairfax County, Va.

Broderick would only say the case is under "active investigation."

Kellermann, who was 41, became acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac in September, replacing Anthony S. Piszel amid a broader overhaul of top management. He had previously been the company's controller and principal accounting officer.

Kellermann's job made him responsible for financial controls and reporting at Freddie Mac, a housing finance company backed by the federal government. He had been with the company for more than 16 years, starting as a financial analyst and auditor in 1992, according to the company's Web site.

Investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission and Justice Department have been questioning officials of Freddie Mac about possible accounting violations and other matters in recent months, the company disclosed in March.

Freddie disclosed in the recent SEC filing that in September it received a federal grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York seeking documents related to accounting, disclosure and corporate governance matters. That subpoena was later withdrawn, Freddie has disclosed, and the investigation was taken over by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Freddie said the SEC also is investigating and has told the company to preserve documents. Freddie has said it is "cooperating fully in these matters."

Freddie Mac Interim CEO John Koskinen released a statement expressing condolences to Kellermann's family and praising his work ethic and integrity.

"But he will be most remembered for his affability, his personal warmth, his sense of humor and his quick wit," Koskinen said.

Freddie Mac, along with its sibling Fannie Mae, were taken over by the government in September in what would become a string of state interventions in financial services firms. The housing finance giants have been hobbled by falling home prices and the subsequent deterioration in their investment portfolios. Freddie has received $30.8 billion in support from the government while Fannie has taken $15.2 billion.

Freddie Mac's shares were recently down about 4%.

-By Anusha Shrivastava and James R. Hagerty

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