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HomeFull Throttle
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 27th, 2009 11:28 AM |
To say that we are in the economic fight of our lives would be a gross understatement. While we are feeding ammo into all our weaponry on the main deck, are we remiss in keeping a close eye on what is happening “in the engine room”?
Let’s go into the control room on the main deck and scope things out. On one wing, we see the plans to combat the problems in the commercial real estate market have suffered a setback. Bloomberg reconnaissance provides details: Top Rated Commercial Mortgage Debt May Face Cuts:
The highest-graded bonds backed by commercial mortgages may be cut by Standard & Poor’s, potentially rendering the securities ineligible for a $1 trillion U.S. program to jumpstart lending.
As much as 90 percent of so-called super senior commercial- mortgage backed bonds sold in 2007 may be affected as the ratings firm changes how it assesses the debt, New York-based S&P said today in a report. About 25 percent of the bonds sold in 2005, and 60 percent of those sold in 2006 may be cut.
“We believe these transactions are characterized by increasingly more aggressive underwriting than prior vintages,” S&P said. “Furthermore, recent-vintage CMBS, particularly those issued since 2006, were originated during a time of peak rents and values,” and may be more affected by falling rents.
Cutting the ratings would exclude the securities from the Federal Reserve’s program to bolster credit markets by financing the purchase of older commercial real-estate debt. To be eligible for the program, collateral can’t carry a rating below AAA from any rating firm.
This development is a MAJOR setback in our economic battle. An overhang of office space and underperforming real estate properties will be a significant drag not only on earnings for holders of the loans but also on the economies where these properties are located. (more…)
Obama Administration Won’t Release Mortgage Modification Figures; Sense on Cents Already Did
Posted by Larry Doyle on November 11th, 2009 2:50 PM |
No news is good news, right?
Well, that may work in raising teenagers but when it comes to public policy in general and housing policy specifically the American public deserves to know what is going on. Why? American taxpayers are picking up the tab, that’s why.
Regrettably, our wizards in Washington are often reluctant to provide the transparency the American public deserves.
I witness this dynamic again today in reviewing a story on the mortgage modification program. The Wall Street Journal puts a positive spin on developments in the mortgage modification process by writing, Mortgage Program Gathers Steam After Slow Start:
Won’t release figures on completed modifications until December? Why not? What’s up with that? (more…)
Tags: HAMP, housing policy, Making Home Affordable, mortgage modifications, Mortgage Program GAthers Steam After Slow Start, Obama administration won't release successful mortgage modifications, review of TARP, success of mortgage modifications, Treasury comments on mortgage modifications
Posted in General, Housing Crisis, Mortgage Crisis, Mortgages, Obama Administration | 6 Comments »