NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) rose before the opening bell on Tuesday after Lehman Brothers lifted its ratings on the two biggest providers of U.S. residential mortgage funding to "overweight" from "equal weight."

Shares of Freddie Mac rose 1.5 percent to $27 and Fannie shares gained 1.5 percent to $30.30 in pre-market trading.

(Reporting by Jennifer Coogan; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)