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HomeWill Principal Reduction Save Housing?
Posted by Larry Doyle on January 23rd, 2012 12:53 PM |
While Washington has thrown everything and the kitchen sink to support our banking system and our economy over the last few years, Washington has been unable to prop up our housing market.
What do many in Washington and elsewhere believe needs to be done on the housing front? (more…)
Housing Double Dip Represents ‘Patient’ Opportunity
Posted by Larry Doyle on June 1st, 2011 9:30 AM |
While various and sundry soothsayers have been touting the relative merits of our housing market for the last few years, I did not have a constructive comment about housing until just six weeks ago when I wrote, Is It Getting Time To Buy a House?. Housing price data released yesterday confirmed that our nations’ housing market has, in fact, suffered a double dip.
Is my positive commentary on housing premature and akin to ‘catching a falling knife’? Why was I negative for so long? Why do I think the bottoming process will be prolonged? What do I see as a compelling reason why homeownership is becoming increasingly attractive? Let’s navigate.
1. Why was I negative for so long? (more…)
Wall Street’s Meaningless ‘Mea Culpas’
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 18th, 2011 8:56 AM |
“I’m sorry. No, really I am. I did not mean to do it….er, I mean we did not mean to do it. I hope nobody got too badly hurt. Oh, sorry if you did. Really, I mean it and we mean it. I think we were well intentioned but things just got a little out of control. We will definitely try to make sure this stuff NEVER happens again…no, really. This time we definitely mean it. Will you still trust us? Please?”
Are you kidding me? Is “sorry” the best America gets for the ineptitude, incompetence, reckless and abusive behaviors of those on Wall Street and their regulatory overseers in Washington after driving our markets and economy over the cliff?
Who is issuing these meaningless mea culpas? (more…)
UPDATE: Did Wall Street Violate the Racketeering Act?
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 4th, 2011 11:50 AM |
A month ago I questioned whether there was sufficient evidence of abusive and fraudulent practices in the mortgage business on Wall Street (underwriting, servicing, securitizations, etc) to make a case that the industry as a whole violated the Racketeering Act? I would not expect that our ‘leaders’ in Washington would ever think about making that case; that said, I think there is plenty of reason to believe that a very real case could be made.
What will we likely see? Perhaps a number of individual cases. We witness just such a situation today with news that the Department of Justice yesterday filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank for lying about the quality of loans made by a mortgage subsidiary of the German bank. (more…)
Alternative Housing Finance: How Does “SwapRent” Work
Posted by Larry Doyle on August 24th, 2010 11:58 AM |
Our nation rests on a foundation of entrepreneurial risk taking. I am a strong proponent that our government should work to promote those who have the minds and spirit to take risk and drive our nation’s future economic growth ever higher. That spirit has brought us untold gains over the years. We need to continue to tap into that spirit whenever and wherever we can. On a day in which we just reported that existing home sales dropped 27% in the month of July, I believe it is timely that we tap into this ‘spirit’ and address another alternative housing finance solution.
I referenced the need for real entrepreneurial spirit the other day in writing, A Proposed Solution to the Foreclosure Crisis:
With the Conference on The Future of Housing Finance being held in Washington today, do we really expect the government to propose anything that may help support or fix our system of housing finance? (more…)
Caroline Herron’s Lawsuit Targets Fannie Mae’s Mismanagement of Mortgage Modification Program
Posted by Larry Doyle on August 11th, 2010 7:17 AM |
Have executives at Fannie Mae worked to benefit their own financial interests versus promoting the well being of American taxpayers and homeowners looking to permanently modify their mortgages? Is Fannie Mae merely a perpetual train wreck or has something even more nefarious gone on inside the halls of our national stepchild?
In recently reviewing The Center for Public Integrity, I was not shocked — but certainly dismayed — to read Whistleblower: Fannie Mae Bungled HAMP Anti-Foreclosure Program,
Fannie Mae executives bungled their stewardship of the federal government’s massive foreclosure-prevention campaign, creating a bureaucratic muddle characterized by “mismanagement and gross waste of public funds,” according to a whistleblower lawsuit by a former Fannie Mae executive and consultant. (more…)
Mortgage Servicers Are Hugely Conflicted
Posted by Larry Doyle on July 23rd, 2010 12:57 PM |
Information is everything. Those who control the information have immense power. The allegiances of those in control of the info obviously have an enormous impact on how the information is processed and dispensed. The potential for conflicts of interest are significant. Standard business fare, correct? Have these conflicts played out on Wall Street? All too often. How so?
I have repeatedly highlighted the conflicts within our financial regulatory structure. We also know that the credit rating agencies have been enormously conflicted. Anywhere else? Let’s enter the world of mortgage servicing, ….. (more…)
Protecting Yourself Against Mortgage Fraud
Posted by Larry Doyle on June 18th, 2010 9:20 AM |
Financial distress leaves people increasingly vulnerable to financial predators and resulting financial scams and fraud. With homeowners increasingly underwater on their mortgages, the scum in our society are diligently pursuing and perpetrating their vile works. Homeowners looking to modify their mortgages or otherwise investigating avenues of financial assistance need to be exceptionally careful at this point in time.
What should homeowners do? I would highlight two recommended paths. In my local paper this morning were rules of the road to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Fraud:
According to an FBI advisory, these are steps to take to avoid becoming the victim of mortgage fraud: (more…)
Sense on Cents Repeats, ‘The Most Critical Economic Statistic’
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 19th, 2010 2:49 PM |
Economic progress? Green shoots (remember those)? Improving fundamentals? Stop it.
I remain an eternal and enthusiastic optimist, but I hold particular contempt for those in our media and our markets who will neither look for nor embrace the truth.
In my opinion, America has allowed itself to be numbed by those in Washington who put forth snapshots of economic data with little regard for the big picture. The financial media enables the Washington ‘facade’ under the guise ‘if we don’t highlight the truth, perhaps we can avoid it.’
Life does not work that way. (more…)
Lew Ranieri: Housing Recovery Is Years Away
Posted by Larry Doyle on April 29th, 2010 3:34 PM |
Despite all reports to the contrary, markets in general and housing in particular are ultimately a function of supply and demand. On that note, why isn’t the housing market poised to truly do better anytime soon? The overhang of housing supply due to ongoing strategic mortgage defaults is increasing. These strategic mortgage defaults are much more a factor in the prime-Jumbo market segment than the conforming or sub-prime mortgage market. (more…)
