Saturday 18th May
Home » Search Results
“Hardest Hit” Funds Apparently Hard for Government to Spend
Written on 2 Nov, 2013 at 12:16
The SIGTARP is talking about the “Hardest Hit Funds,” which were the roughly $8 billion provided by the federal government in the beginning of 2010 to the states hardest hit by foreclosures in order to help their respective housing markets...... (Continue reading)
The Reverse Mortgage Industry is Lost. (Here’s why.)
Written on 10 Oct, 2018 at 18:18
If you want to be successful in the reverse mortgage space going forward, you have to learn to operate effectively with trusted advisors to build networks of referral partners... like we've done for three years.... (Continue reading)
For HECM Professionals… An Invitation to Attend a Day of HECM Power Training.
Written on 15 Apr, 2018 at 16:42
Make the investment in your career that will make that career much more productive, profitable and satisfying. Learn to implement real strategies and tactics that are being used successfully every day with trusted advisors and homeowners in the field.... (Continue reading)
Now we care about how Steve Mnuchin at OneWest Bank handled foreclosures?
Written on 20 Jan, 2017 at 4:58
Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary is a good one. Yes, OneWest foreclosed more than it should have, but it also got better, becoming one of better servicers when modifying loans. ... (Continue reading)
Are Foreclosures Impacting the Presidential Election in 2016?
Written on 3 Nov, 2016 at 20:44
It's the Obama Administration’s handling of the foreclosure crisis has left millions of Americans so mad they can’t see straight and at this point, don’t want to try. Want to know what created Trump v. Hillary? Maybe that... (Continue reading)
How a HECM Reverse Mortgage Saved a Homeowner Over $200,000
Written on 9 Sep, 2016 at 1:03
Homeowners with significant amounts in their retirement accounts can often benefit from using the HECM because it’s a tax free source of funds.... (Continue reading)
Kevin Carter (aka Kevin Rasher) Finally In Jail for Defrauding Homeowners… But He Should be Indicted for Murder, Here’s Why
Written on 10 Aug, 2016 at 19:54
This story epitomizes why we as a nation needed to do more, not only to prevent foreclosures, but also to stop the scammers targeting those at risk of losing homes.... (Continue reading)
Are You Overestimating Your Ability to Access Your Own Money in Retirement?
Written on 15 Feb, 2016 at 9:14
I’ve found that most homeowners are dramatically overestimating their ability to pay off mortgages in retirement and/or access the equity in their homes once retired.... (Continue reading)
SIGTARP Report Says 70% Denied for HAMP Loan Modifications – What’s Going On Here?
Written on 10 Sep, 2015 at 5:18
It’s unconscionable that the loan modification process be allowed to go on as is. The latest SIGTARP Report to Congress makes it clear that servicers need to be made better, or it is likely that HAMP will be with... (Continue reading)
How & Why I Fell in Love with the Reverse Mortgage
Written on 21 Feb, 2015 at 0:05
Nothing else does what a reverse mortgage does. There’s no real alternative because any other type of home equity loan would require you to make monthly payments, and you can’t retire with high monthly payments or you could end up... (Continue reading)
Love Them or Loathe Them? It helps to understand them. Ron Lieber on Reverse Mortgages. Â
Written on 20 Nov, 2014 at 19:47
Ron Lieber has had years to learn about reverse mortgages, so unless we’re dealing with some sort of learning disability here there's no excuse for him writing this kind of article.... (Continue reading)
RealtyTrac: Land mines threaten housing recovery, could trigger surge in defaults.
Written on 9 Nov, 2014 at 17:51
RealtyTrac has been telling the country about housing recovery and that there’s no bad time to buy a home… now they sound a lot like Mandelman Matters.... (Continue reading)
AMERICA’S BILLIONAIRES: Aristocracies that are sure to be with us for a very long time.
Written on 21 Oct, 2014 at 1:50
We have 97 billionaires, each with over $5 billion. After this generation is gone, that number will likely double. We creating aristocracies. Inequality USA.... (Continue reading)
Future SHOCK for Older Homeowners: You Won’t Get a HELOC, a Second, or Refi based on your Equity
Written on 15 Oct, 2014 at 23:54
If you’re over 62, you have to ask yourself what you’d do in the event your income dropped or your expenses rose unexpectedly? You could tap your savings, but that's not something you want to do because spending your nest... (Continue reading)
Dear Bloomberg & Financial Advisors: They can’t get a HELOC & don’t want to sell their homes.
Written on 8 Oct, 2014 at 2:38
Okay, Ben you blew it on reverse mortgages, but I feel certain that you’ll try very hard not to let it happen again. It’s important, because if you get it wrong, you might end up writing something that ends... (Continue reading)
Downsizing and Downgrading… Requirements for Retirement
Written on 28 Sep, 2014 at 13:38
More and more Americans are finding retirement more of an impossible dream than an American one. Baby boomers are delaying retirement or working through it, and most are woefully short of the amounts they'd need to retire. But... (Continue reading)
Understanding The Black Swan… Thy Name is Retirement
Written on 26 Sep, 2014 at 8:44
Reverse mortgages can help us deal with the Black Swan event we’re most familiar with today... the meltdown in home prices that began in 2007 and left tens of millions of American homeowners “underwater,” or in other words, owing more... (Continue reading)
Major Media Misinforms, Scares Seniors on Reverse Mortgages
Written on 23 May, 2014 at 7:51
I can’t help but wonder how many seniors have made less favorable decisions as a result of biased and wholly inaccurate reporting on reverse mortgages, but it’s impossible for me to believe that it’s not quite a few. How... (Continue reading)
Motley Fooled by Reverse Mortgages – New York Times No Better
Written on 13 May, 2014 at 12:17
If you’ve seen one article about the “risks" or "perils" or "nightmares," associated with reverse mortgages, you’ve quite literally seen them all. It feels almost like one writer started a chain letter on the subject, and the rest of... (Continue reading)
CNBC’s Diana Olick makes sure no one understands reverse mortgages, I make sure they do.
Written on 12 May, 2014 at 6:52
I’m constantly amazed at the negative press and misconceptions surrounding reverse mortgages, because the bottom-line is they are an absolutely wonderful product that almost everyone over 62 years old should have, and yet in a year of talking to seniors... (Continue reading)
Dave Dayen Does Great Job Describing “Government Cowardice” and Donovan’s Complicity “Selling” the National Mortgage Settlement
Written on 23 Mar, 2014 at 21:24
Dayen’s article is still an outstanding piece of work that I very much appreciated. It saved me from having to read Smith’s final report, and he wrote it in such a way that I think it represents the perfect... (Continue reading)
Four Million Homes Rise Above Water in Q4… Does anyone realize how stupid a headline that is?
Written on 11 Mar, 2014 at 10:19
How about if we start a contest? I’d love to promote the, “Sell your home at the Zillow price and win your mortgage payments for a year” contest. It’s not like we’d need any money to do it…... (Continue reading)
The Rush for Rentals by Investors Turns Into a Run for the Exit
Written on 26 Nov, 2013 at 23:55
In addition, spurned on by the Fed’s QE and zero-interest-rate policy, Lord knows how many smaller companies and individual investors also jumped on the bandwagon, and as it has the tendency to do, the insanity drove up home prices at... (Continue reading)
The “It’s Not Real Money” Argument – Perhaps the Best Way to Make the Banks Look Good in Court
Written on 22 Oct, 2013 at 10:37
The harm caused by our government's abominable handling of the foreclosure crisis... inconceivably made worse the complete absence of any communication on the subject by the Obama Administration... has barely begun to manifest itself let alone be understood... well, seemingly... (Continue reading)
SECURITIZATION: How our society changed when we learned to turn lead into gold.
Written on 30 Sep, 2013 at 13:07
Before securitization children were raised receiving fewer presents for their birthdays and holidays and I don’t need a source for that statistic. Water is wet, the sky is blue, and that’s a fact. Hotel rooms never cost $600... (Continue reading)
Some of Lynn Szymoniak’s Millions May Belong to Someone Else
Written on 16 Sep, 2013 at 8:39
And I can say that, in my opinion, regardless of the outcome... AT BEST... Lynn Szymoniak handled the situation very, very poorly. And, AT WORST... her behavior was deceitful to the point of being unconscionable, and a total abdication... (Continue reading)
Kindergarten Loans from SallieMae Are Here!
Written on 13 Sep, 2013 at 8:37
SallieMae is now offering financing for the high costs of... kindergarten? It’s even marketing loans available for pre-K, which I’m pretty sure we used to call, “nursery school.” I never thought to ask my mother how much it... (Continue reading)
Creative Uses for Reverse Mortgages… That You’ve Probably Never Considered
Written on 16 Jul, 2013 at 4:07
I can’t think of anything that’s anything like a reverse mortgage. And the more I think about how they work and can be structured, the more uses for them come to mind. For example, one of the best... (Continue reading)
One Bank Did Right by Homeowners & Shareholders – A Story You Haven’t Heard Before
Written on 17 May, 2013 at 17:40
There is one mortgage banker that did it right for their shareholders and borrowers. They didn’t take TARP funds or any sort of tax-payer funded bailout... instead they took their losses, restructured the company, and protected their shareholders... ... (Continue reading)
I’m Back in the Saddle Again… What’d I miss? Nothing, unfortunately.
Written on 13 May, 2013 at 13:40
I know many have been wondering where I’ve been for the last two months from the slew of emails I’ve received, I thought I’d explain what I didn’t want to explain at the time... and let everyone know that not... (Continue reading)
Homeowner’s Scheme Makes Bad Situation Worse… Ends Up in Jail
Written on 6 Mar, 2013 at 6:40
The problem is that when we start believing things that aren’t true... even though do so might make us feel better for the moment... that’s when we lose all of our power. No one is powerful when they’ve got... (Continue reading)
The Trillion Dollar Mistake That Triggered the Economic Meltdown
Written on 17 Oct, 2012 at 9:45
What could Mr. Bernanke and others have done differently? Addressed the real cause of the crisis, the lost trust part... by announcing that the U.S. government would be stepping into the bond market and guaranteeing the investment grade bonds…... (Continue reading)
The Foreclosure Crisis – We Won’t Be Able to Fix It, Until We Understand It
Written on 10 Oct, 2012 at 6:26
By understanding the truth of what happened and why at these two pivotal moments in time, everything else will fall into place, for it was these two moments that set the course for a global economic downturn that, if history... (Continue reading)
Lost Pride in America Mine
Written on 2 Jul, 2012 at 22:15
And I will likely never view the U.S.A. as being a great nation again. For me, that is over. For I have seen our pettiness, our insensitivity, our callous disregard to the plight of our neighbors right up... (Continue reading)
CAR- California Assn. of Realtors Tries to Kill Homeowners Bill of Rights
Written on 28 Jun, 2012 at 22:53
Let’s let C.A.R. know that even though many of us may be losing homes today, that doesn’t make us deadbeats… it makes us strong… it makes us focused… and it makes us remember who was and who wasn’t on our... (Continue reading)
California State Bar Court Lacks Fundamental Knowledge of Loan Modifications
Written on 24 Jun, 2012 at 4:52
Your state assembly representative and state senator needs to hear from you on this issue. You should care a great deal that you have access to legal counsel should you decide you want or need it… no matter what...... (Continue reading)
Mandelman made $454,000 in 1 year as student loan debt collector?
Written on 4 Jun, 2012 at 16:52
Have you found your mortgage servicer to be a tad offensive at times. Well, that's to be expected, after all, they are a bill collector, right? Well, here's some news that will drive you insane... mortgage servicers are... (Continue reading)
Phoenix Breaking News: NACA’s Save the Dream Tour Personnel Threaten Mandelman Matters Reporters: “Leave or We’ll Have You Arrested”.
Written on 14 May, 2012 at 17:00
Tweet Originally posted in October 2009. Mandelman Matters field reporters, Brook Parsons and Phil Winter, tried to attend the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America’s (“NACA’s) “Save the Dream Tour, held this weekend in Phoenix, Arizona at the Phoenix Convention Center. ... (Continue reading)
An Important Message about 2012 for both President Obama & Mitt Romney
Written on 30 Apr, 2012 at 8:15
In 2012, the road to the White House runs directly through the states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis, most notably Ohio and Florida, but also Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina, et al. For the Obama campaign, I would... (Continue reading)
Crimes of Hubris, Ineptitude & Folly: Geithner, Summers and Obama
Written on 18 Apr, 2012 at 11:15
Decisions made by Larry Summers have been disastrous for this nation… that much is abundantly clear. Tim Geithner’s been no peach either. Together their folly has cost our country incalculable amounts of money, but further, they have caused... (Continue reading)
An Insider’s View of an Actual RMBS Securitization at Mandelman U.
Written on 2 Apr, 2012 at 8:15
What follows below are slides from an actual presentation of a Residential Mortgage-backed Securities - RMBS/REMIC deal... but NOT the slides from a "road show" presentation to potential investors... what you're about to see are slides from an INTERNAL meeting... (Continue reading)
If WE owned a pool of loans… would WE allow principal reductions?
Written on 27 Mar, 2012 at 10:12
To really understand what happens when trying to determine the present and future value of a pool of loans within a mortgage-backed security, let’s put ourselves in the place of the investors… we’ll be investors together… and we’ll want to... (Continue reading)
Calling All Lawyers to 5,000,000 Crime Scenes
Written on 20 Jan, 2012 at 10:21
Consider this... bankers say that they've been overwhelmed by the millions of homeowners unexpectedly seeking loan modifications and that's why applying for a loan modification has been such a nightmare. But, what about the number of foreclosures occurring in... (Continue reading)
Are they lying or are they stupid?
Written on 14 Jan, 2012 at 15:51
Look… are you feeling me here? Do you see what I’m saying? What’s the deal? Are they lying or are they stupid, because there’s no way in the world we should be talking about whether the FOMC... (Continue reading)
Can We All at Least Agree on This?
Written on 13 Jan, 2012 at 12:49
If that is going to be allowed to happen, we… and I mean WE, as in ALL OF US… should demand that we stop signing such things altogether. If a Linda Green look-a-like is going to sign a fraudulent... (Continue reading)
Should State AGs Settle with Bankers? Ohio’s Former AG Marc Dann Weighs In… A Mandelman Matters Podcast
Written on 27 Dec, 2011 at 8:22
I decided that the best person to ask about what's going on with these positively inane negotiations would be a former State Attorney General, so I called Ohio's former AG, Marc Dann. Marc knows these people, he understands the... (Continue reading)
HO, HO, HOmeless… A Sobering View of the Crisis Affecting Us All
Written on 24 Dec, 2011 at 5:00
And to the homeowners who feel ashamed… who have suffered the indignity of losing a home in silence… this wasn’t your fault. You didn’t break the bond market and send housing prices into a free fall. You didn’t... (Continue reading)
DOJ Arrests Attorney Mitchell Stein at LAX – A Mass Clusterf#@k
Written on 21 Dec, 2011 at 8:17
Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today that attorney Mitchell J. Stein was arrested on Sunday, December 18, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport on charges related to his alleged role in a... (Continue reading)
Our future hinges on just ONE thing…
Written on 14 Nov, 2011 at 12:06
You know the stereotype… we all do… reckless and greedy people who bought homes they could never hope to afford by signing their names on nothing down, 80/20 “liar loans” with negative amortization and teaser rates of 1%. And... (Continue reading)
Bull… meet China Shop. SB 94 and the California State Bar, Two Years Later
Written on 30 Oct, 2011 at 8:25
At the California State Bar Association's 84th Annual Meeting, September 17, 2011, Susan Anderson presented what she said is the bar’s official interpretation of SB 94, precluding a lawyer from being paid for services related to a loan modification until... (Continue reading)
Inside the Obama Administration with Ezra Klein … and Mandelman
Written on 15 Oct, 2011 at 6:43
Klein seems to think that it’s important to understand how the administration got it so wrong… but I could care less. I think the salient point is that they knew they had gotten it wrong soon enough, and yet... (Continue reading)
From Insult to Injury and Back to Insult… A New Twist on the Demolition Derby
Written on 3 Aug, 2011 at 6:47
I remember a year or two back when Warren Buffett quipped that one solution was to “blow up a lot of houses -- a tactic similar to the destruction of autos that occurred with the â€cash-for-clunkers’ program.’” He was... (Continue reading)
HAMP, HARP, HOP, HOOP… Like Watching Someone Spend $10 Trying to Fly to the Moon
Written on 19 Jul, 2011 at 5:06
Boy, that sure is a relief, wouldn’t you say? Because, see… I had been under the impression that he had actually been trying to do something big and important and was putting his best foot forward, as it were.... (Continue reading)
Is Bank of America Worth $200 Billion?
Written on 12 May, 2011 at 1:30
Bank of America bought Countrywide for $4 billion and change. That sounds funny to me now. You’ve got to admit it. The idea that someone would PAY money for Countywide has to make you giggle at least... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 12.0
Written on 11 May, 2011 at 8:59
In this issue: 1. Treasury reports 84% of HAMP loan mods current after 12 months. 2. Surprise, Surprise... Falling Home Values. 3. State AGs Beg Servicers for Crumbs. 4. Iowa's AG, Miller Calls B.S. 5. Banks... (Continue reading)
THEY ONCE WERE LENDERS – Understanding government’s failure to stop bankers OR scammers from destroying homeowners.
Written on 25 Apr, 2011 at 21:47
And, to add insult to injury, our government has stood by obtuse and witless as these same banks have been permitted to lie, mislead, abuse, disrespect, malign and outright torture homeowners trying to apply for a government program funded by... (Continue reading)
St. Louis BBB Warns Homeowners: “Steer Clear of Mass Joinder Lawsuit Mailings”
Written on 24 Apr, 2011 at 6:18
Mitchell Stein’s complaint in the Ronald v. Bank of America lawsuit has been used as the model for suits filed by Phillip Kramer and others. I spoke with Mitch for several hours the other day and I can tell... (Continue reading)
I’m So Happy that I Ignored the whole AGs-Investigate-the-Servicers Thing
Written on 9 Mar, 2011 at 11:28
Well, what they’re calling the Attorneys General “Term Sheet” is out and to kick it all off, I went with an analysis of the AG’s work product written by Joshua Rosner, who is Managing Director at independent research consultancy Graham... (Continue reading)
The Psychology and Politics of Foreclosure
Written on 7 Mar, 2011 at 7:00
Of course, there are times when more stuff happens to more people, and today is obviously an example of such times. The economic conditions that we're experiencing today are causing more foreclosures than at any time since the 1930s. When... (Continue reading)
New Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin Gives Me Reason to Hope
Written on 15 Feb, 2011 at 15:53
I read her speech yesterday evening; parts actually gave me chills, and parts left me with a hopeful tear in my eye. She says almost exactly what I’ve written in my articles on at least dozens and at this... (Continue reading)
CalHFA’s $2 Billion Home Rescue Program… Here’s How Stupid They Think We Are.
Written on 10 Feb, 2011 at 10:14
You see, it’s a very well thought out no-lose proposition, this new California foreclosure rescue program… because if the banks refuse to participate in it, which would kill the whole principal reduction aspect of the plan, it’s really not a... (Continue reading)
A San Diego Attorney Speaks Out on How SB 94 Has Taken Legitimate Lawyers Away from Homeowners
Written on 9 Feb, 2011 at 9:58
SB 94 is simply a law written by the Senate Banking Committee to make it next to impossible for a homeowner to hire a lawyer when at risk of foreclosure. I bet the banks wish they could have passed... (Continue reading)
Two Years Waiting for the New York Times to Write About Lawyers & Loan Modifications, and they Still GET IT WRONG.
Written on 28 Dec, 2010 at 13:04
Can you hear me now? Is that doing it for you? The facts about California attorneys who offer to assist homeowners with loan modifications as presented in the New York Times story are just plain WRONG. ... (Continue reading)
BREAKTHROUGH: Why Americans Are Allowing the Foreclosure Crisis to Continue
Written on 17 Dec, 2010 at 11:46
More than half of our country doesn’t care about the foreclosure crisis because to them, it’s just bankers acting in their own best interests by foreclosing on homes that borrowers irresponsibly bought knowing they couldn’t afford them. It’s therefore... (Continue reading)
QE2 Leaves Port, Bernanke Takes Leave of Senses
Written on 15 Nov, 2010 at 13:59
I want to go on record as saying that Bernanke’s QE2 has no chance of working, in the sense that it will do nothing positive in the long run, and won’t even do much in the short run to help... (Continue reading)
Howie Hubler’s Loan Value Group… Proof That Wall Street Has No Idea What’s Happening on Main Street
Written on 1 Nov, 2010 at 9:13
Want to know who Howie Hubler is? Did you read Michael Lewis' book, "The Big Short," because if you did, you might remember Lewis mentioning a bond trader at Morgan Stanley that lost the investment bank $9 BILLION... more... (Continue reading)
A Conversation Between MANDELMAN and a Reader About New $1 Billion Fund For Unemployed Homeowners
Written on 1 Jul, 2010 at 20:14
Everyone knows how much I love sarcasm… or at least have come to love sarcasm writing about the foreclosure crisis… and on this article I think I might have taken my sarcasm to such a level that readers, especially those... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the Rear: Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Goldman Sachs
Written on 2 Jun, 2010 at 6:22
Just think how it would have looked… Blankcheck would have said: “Gee, I couldn’t tell you about the ins and outs of those billions we made,” and someone would have walked over and whacked him with a good size stick.... (Continue reading)
Federal Reserve Bank President Says We’re In For a Long Hard Road Ahead
Written on 19 May, 2010 at 22:04
What happened? As the decline in housing prices began to accelerate across the country, this exposed underlying cracks in the financial system. Foreclosures began to rise, loan losses mounted, and housing prices dropped even more, creating a downward spiral not... (Continue reading)
Who is Freddie Mac to Strategic Defaulters? Well, I Have a Message for Freddie Mac.
Written on 12 May, 2010 at 9:00
What is Freddie Mac anyway? I’ve personally spoken with several thousand homeowners from all over the country, hundreds that have considered walking away from their mortgages, or are now in the process of doing so, and let me assure... (Continue reading)
The FTC Needs a More Reasoned Approach to Stop Loan Mod Scams
Written on 10 May, 2010 at 11:19
Yes, I’ve walked through this steaming pile of freshness so many times and in so many ways, that I’ve come to consider the idea that there’s something in the water that’s causing otherwise intelligent people to lose their capacity for... (Continue reading)
My Year in A-Trance: What I’ve Learned About Loan Modifications
Written on 4 May, 2010 at 1:50
Why the banking lobby starts to look downright puny next to millions of American homeowners all shouting at the same time… “Congress better take note! We intend to use our VOTE!” Yep, after that the foreclosure crisis would... (Continue reading)
WaMu and We Don’t Lose Deals to Income!
Written on 14 Apr, 2010 at 5:55
Tweet Those are the words that were printed on a large banner that hung above the cubicles at Ameriquest Mortgage in Sacramento, California, according to an ex-employee of the now defunct sub-prime mortgage banking lender that was shut down by... (Continue reading)
Green Credit & Me
Written on 24 Mar, 2010 at 2:00
If the guys in Sacramento or Washington D.C. think that I view ANYTHING they’ve done to-date as being even remotely competent, let me be oh so clear… I DON’T. As far as I’m concerned, our government is functioning just... (Continue reading)
Returning Home From Speaking at the ABA’s Consumer Financial Services Conference on Loan Modifications
Written on 23 Jan, 2010 at 23:20
If any private sector attorney thinks that he or she can practice autonomously, hidden away in a little box, pretending to exist under some sort of imaginary radar… and that somehow federal or state regulators are supposed to know that... (Continue reading)
Obama’s Plan to Create Jobs – I’m sorry, what am I missing here?
Written on 11 Dec, 2009 at 6:25
He also said that he and congressional Democrats took "a series of difficult steps" to try to stabilize the financial system and pull the economy out of a deep recession, and I guess that it probably was difficult to do... (Continue reading)
The People of the United States v. Wall Street’s Bankers
Written on 6 Dec, 2009 at 21:48
As I’ve watched the economy deteriorate over the last two years, I have been amazed and bewildered at our government’s response, or lack thereof. And the more I’ve learned, the worse I’ve felt about our ability to fix what... (Continue reading)
Phoenix Breaking News: NACA’s Save the Dream Tour Personnel Threaten Mandelman Matters Reporters: “Leave or We’ll Have You Arrested”.
Written on 5 Oct, 2009 at 1:23
While Phil was talking with Marks a woman came into his office crying tears of joy. “Thank you, thank you,” she said. “I’ve been trying to get my loan modified for eight months now, and I was finally... (Continue reading)
Hyper-Hype Over Hyperinflation
Written on 7 Sep, 2009 at 0:58
What I find most worth noticing is that this past week, the National Association for Business Economics reported that almost half the economists surveyed believed the Fed’s policy to be inflationary. Yet the fact is, not only is the... (Continue reading)
MY SWAN’S SONG: Testimony Before the United States Senate on the State of Foreclosures & Loan Modifications
Written on 25 Aug, 2009 at 8:25
I read her testimony throughout last night, until the sun started to rise outside my window. And when I finished, I sat there and I cried. It’s been a long road… and I pray that this document at... (Continue reading)
Did Attorneys “TURN BAD” in 2009? What… Is There Something in the Water?
Written on 21 Aug, 2009 at 0:54
In 2009, not only did all of that happen… and more, but more importantly, in 2009 we all started to realize that our way of life… the one we’ve come to know over the last thirty years, would not be... (Continue reading)
A Complaint By Any Other Name…
Written on 2 Aug, 2009 at 22:48
People are losing their homes. And they feel let down. Let down by their banks, let down by their government, let down by society. Many still blame them for having created the situation in which they now... (Continue reading)
Changing the Way the President Gets Elected and What it Means to Your Business
Written on 18 Jul, 2009 at 14:11
A long, long time ago there were "Media Kings". They had names like King Henry and King George. Sure, they also controlled armies and wealth, but as they were soon to discover, it was their control of the media that... (Continue reading)
How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take To Change An Investor?
Written on 18 Jul, 2009 at 12:34
People ignored anyone suggesting that yet another bubble was in the making. The fact that housing prices had fallen after previous booms, such as in 1990, didn't seem to matter. "This time is different", was the order of the day.... (Continue reading)
Mandelman vs. Matt Padilla of the Orange County Register
Written on 13 Jul, 2009 at 3:06
Matt... all articles like this one do is hurt homeowners. People read them... and as a result they don't hire a firm to represent them in the negotiations with their bank... and they lose their home as a result,... (Continue reading)
FTC Testifies on Loan Modification “Scams”
Written on 7 Jun, 2009 at 2:10
A Ms. Peggy Twohig, the Associate Director of the Division of Financial Practices at the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) was called before the committee to discuss the FTC’s efforts to protect consumers from foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams. ... (Continue reading)
Stop Blowing Sunshine Up My Skirt – Recovery, My Aunt Petunia
Written on 31 May, 2009 at 5:30
Tweet It has occurred to me over the last several weeks, that there are many people that simply want… and perhaps need… the news to be good, regardless of what the news actually is. When the news is not good,... (Continue reading)
Goldman Sachs… You’re a Liar!
Written on 16 Apr, 2009 at 9:01
But, Goldman Sachs… you’re a liar. A phony. A manipulator of the rules. A company willing to mislead, misinform and malign. You cannot be trusted. And during times like these, to act in such a... (Continue reading)
Wells Fargo’s Surprising Profits? Time to Go Short…
Written on 14 Apr, 2009 at 4:11
Oh, hell... the fact is, tying the amount of "credit extended" to TARP funds is ridiculous. The TARP funds were invested by the government to recapitalize banks, not to provide funds that would be lent to borrowers, and making statements... (Continue reading)
