Wednesday 15th January
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Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 15.0
Written on 20 Sep, 2011 at 9:30
1. Obama Administration Leaps Into Action on the Foreclosure Crisis. 2. Nation's poverty rate climbs to 15.1%, highest in 18 years. 3. Obama Says Government to Help More People Refinance... Again. 4. Mortgage Defaults Skyrocket 33% Nationwide in... (Continue reading)
Irresponsible Borrowers Documentary Trailer 2 – We Need Your Support
Written on 15 Sep, 2011 at 22:25
Watch it. Link to it. Post it. Support it. Everyone who contributes will be listed in the credits and we plan to take the film all the way to the Academy Awards. If "Inside Job"... (Continue reading)
We’re Simply Not Going to Win this Battle in Courts Alone…
Written on 14 Sep, 2011 at 19:01
We plan to release the final film by the end of this calendar year. This is an election year. We can't afford to wait. Please help me change how this country views the tragedy that is the... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Reluctant Analysis of Obama’s Speech – The American Jobs Act
Written on 10 Sep, 2011 at 22:21
I didn't want to do this. I was perfectly content ignoring his idiotic drivel as I've been doing pretty successfully for over a year. Or, maybe it's because he hasn't said anything in over a year, I'm not... (Continue reading)
$6 Billion in Reinsurance Kickbacks to the Banks – Un-reported, Un-Acted Upon & Un-believable
Written on 8 Sep, 2011 at 18:17
Citigroup Inc, Wells Fargo & Co, SunTrust Bank Inc. and Countrywide allegedly required reinsurance partnerships on generous terms that violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, a 1974 law prohibiting abusive home sales practices.... (Continue reading)
GUEST POST: Prove Fannie & Freddie Innocent Before Suing the Banks – And Here Is How
Written on 7 Sep, 2011 at 13:29
For twelve years during and after the Savings & Loan crisis (1988-2000), I led the group of business analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers that was responsible for monitoring Ginnie Mae's $600 billion portfolio of mortgage-backed securities. During that period, I learned... (Continue reading)
Geithner is Allowing Banks to Recapitalize on Backs of Homeowners, or… Games Bankers Play
Written on 7 Sep, 2011 at 8:37
I'll say one thing for Secretary Geithner: He's great at distraction. He goes, "Lookie over here." Then he points his finger towards China... and a pigeon flies out of his ass. You really have to watch this... (Continue reading)
Mandelman on Arizona’s Channel 12 NBC News… And other news.
Written on 25 Aug, 2011 at 14:00
While in Phoenix filming a documentary on the foreclosure crisis, I got a call from NBC Channel 12 reporter Melissa Blasius who said she had heard I was in town and wanted to feature what I was doing in one... (Continue reading)
If Your Economic Forecasts are Wrong All the Time, Aren’t You Just Guessing?
Written on 8 Aug, 2011 at 14:31
Mark Zandi is not only misleading the American public, but he's also misleading the American government, because he appears to have become the favorite economist of the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the Senate and House Budget and Finance... (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 "˜cash-for-clunkers' program.'" He was... (Continue reading)
And the Beat Goes On… Yeah, the Beat Goes On…
Written on 23 Jul, 2011 at 2:05
And call me crazy, but I found the news oddly reassuring... you know... like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an ice cold glass of milk. ... (Continue reading)
16 Banks Ordered to Compensate Victims of Improper Foreclosure
Written on 21 Jul, 2011 at 16:31
Guess what... the federal government has ordered 16 of the largest mortgage servicers to reimburse homeowners who they foreclosed on IMPROPERLY. Well, isn't that nice? What a lovely surprise. ... (Continue reading)
GOING UP… The Rising Bar of Homeowner Rage
Written on 20 Jul, 2011 at 7:08
The fact is that the path we're on can only end badly, and although I quite proud of how this nation has managed to hold it together until this point at least, as the man said, it's all downhill from... (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)
Well, Now Isn’t That Interesting… All the News That Fits, We Print
Written on 9 Jul, 2011 at 7:44
1. FDIC is suing former IndyMac CEO for a lot of dough. 2. Obama admits failure on foreclosure crisis. 3. What was the tru cost of the bank bailouts?... (Continue reading)
Mandelman SHOCKS Online Community, Says: “I don’t care about my readers anymore.”
Written on 9 Jul, 2011 at 0:54
And the best part of the whole thing is that even if you're weren't a DOER this time around... even if until now you've just been a "reader," it doesn't matter... ANYONE CAN BECOME A DOER AT ANY MOMENT. ... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 14.0
Written on 2 Jul, 2011 at 7:28
Happy Independence Day! 1. Bank of America... The wrong house AGAIN? 2. Let's call it: Bernankeconomics. 3. Fifty Million for 7,000 Short Sales, Cash for Sunkers? 4. The OCC says fewer than 5,000 principal reductions in... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the Rear: Tom Deutsch, Executive Director, American Securitization Forum
Written on 1 Jul, 2011 at 2:52
I asked a friend of mine who is a fairly senior executive at a major bank, although not one of those mentioned here, and he said that he can't imagine the banks losing them. He explains that the truck... (Continue reading)
Mandelman’s Monthly Museletter – Version 13.0
Written on 12 Jun, 2011 at 3:11
In this issue: 1. Banker-Speak... A new language. 2. An Interesting List. 3. Lessons from History... How we handled foreclosures during the 1930s. 4. I wanted to like Bruce Marks of NACA... but I can't. 5.... (Continue reading)
NBC/MSNBC.com Try to Cover the Foreclosures Crisis
Written on 10 Jun, 2011 at 6:34
No matter, at least you're understanding that today the people falling into foreclosure did nothing to cause their fate. It's now happening at every socio-economic level of our society, and you may be assured that it will spread and... (Continue reading)
Please Call the White House Today for Elizabeth Warren… Here’s the Number and a Script. Please Call.
Written on 9 Jun, 2011 at 14:06
I had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth Warren about a month ago when she was in San Diego and here are a few of the things she said to me... I wrote them down at the time so I'd have... (Continue reading)
Bank of America forecloses on un-mortgaged Florida home… that’s hardly news. Is EVERYONE missing the point here?
Written on 8 Jun, 2011 at 18:50
What the heck is going on around here? We're now passing around a story about a stupid PR stunt by a lawyer that ended up making Bank of America look REASONABLE? Oh my God, people... listen to me... (Continue reading)
Earth to Bankers, Earth to Bankers… Your Planet is Dying, You Must Evacuate, It’s Time to Come Home.
Written on 7 Jun, 2011 at 7:39
The bankers... yes, the very same bankers who leveraged up on garbage CDOs as if housing prices would never ever go anywhere but up are now supposedly shocked and dismayed that mortgage lending volumes don't seem to be "coming back,"... (Continue reading)
MAX GARDNER from the Front Lines of the Battle… A Mandelman Matters PODCAST!
Written on 5 Jun, 2011 at 16:43
Click the button below... and you'll hear a Mandelman Matters PODCAST... A PODCAST THAT MATTERS, if you will. From start to finish, it's unquestionably MAX GARDNER at his candid best. ... (Continue reading)
The Luckiest Bankers the World Has Ever Seen! And They’re Ours! Yay!
Written on 3 Jun, 2011 at 3:35
Assuming you were such an adept trader of securities that you had a 70% probability of making money on any given trading day, which would, by the way, pretty much make you a God of Wall Street... the odds that... (Continue reading)
Hey Everybody… It’s “Pretend You’re Surprised About the Economy Day!”
Written on 1 Jun, 2011 at 9:51
Falling Home Prices, the Next Financial Crisis is Near, Defaulters Aren't Deadbeats After All, the Economy with Gwen Ifill and MERS has No Clothes.... (Continue reading)
Elizabeth Warren Battles With GOP Over CFPB
Written on 26 May, 2011 at 7:29
How can ANYONE support today's Republicans in the House of Representatives or United States Senate? How can they think anyone will after seeing their behavior related to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB")? ... (Continue reading)
If You Think the Meltdown Was the Fault of Homeowners, Think Again…
Written on 25 May, 2011 at 18:46
So... in "Pillage," Nomi Prins explains in terms anyone can understand that factoring in the leverage at 11:1, we're looking at a $140 TRILLION economic problem... yes, you read that correctly... that's trillion, with a 'T'... (Continue reading)
Paula Pennypacker – An Arizona Republican Conservative Finds Mandelman Matters
Written on 24 May, 2011 at 4:33
Today, she writes a Republican conservative blog on azcentral.com. And she's found Mandelman Matters and joined the group of Americans who know the foreclosure crisis must be stopped. ... (Continue reading)
Breaking Down the Real Cause of the Foreclosure Crises
Written on 23 May, 2011 at 7:29
In 2014, it will be seven years since the meltdown began in the summer of 2007, and something in the neighborhood of 15 million homes will have been lost to foreclosure. And there's no reason to believe that foreclosures... (Continue reading)
When Auditing Foreclosures, the OCC’s Definition of the Word “Thorough” is “Hidden”
Written on 21 May, 2011 at 9:50
The findings of the independent reviews will be... sealed... closed to the public... whatever the independent reviews uncover or determine will remain a well-publicized secret. ... (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)
SB 729 Fails – California Homeowners Get Banked but not Kissed Once Again
Written on 6 May, 2011 at 1:36
California Senate Bill 729 failed to pass in the Senate Banking Committee for the second time in the last two weeks. In a related story, it seems that the rights of chickens have suffered yet another blow, with the Chicken... (Continue reading)
Hawaii 2011 – My Prayer for Hawaii’s Homeowners and SB 651
Written on 3 May, 2011 at 0:16
But then... the people in Arizona... well, they don't have Brudda IZ... now do they? Click play... turn up your speakers... close your eyes... and pray for SB 651 to pass tomorrow. Amen.... (Continue reading)
Hawaii’s Legislature Poised to Pass Nation’s Strongest Foreclosure Protection Bill
Written on 2 May, 2011 at 7:33
The dialog about the foreclosure crisis began when FACE member ministers began talking openly about there being no dignity for the families trying to save their homes from foreclosure by the mainland banks. That's what motivated FACE to get... (Continue reading)
A Crush on Matt Taibbi and a Pox on Both Their Houses
Written on 19 Apr, 2011 at 5:49
So, the strategy now seems quite clear: Our government decided to address the financial crisis and economic meltdown by handing out hundreds of millions to the wives of Wall Street executives so they could invest in student loans and commercial... (Continue reading)
BoA’s Bad Bank – Pay No Attention to the 6.7 Million Loans Behind the Curtain
Written on 13 Mar, 2011 at 23:57
See, these are the kinds of things that make me afraid of the world around me... like, now I don't want to even leave my house. Does stuff like this work on "investors?" What... are the "investors" he... (Continue reading)
Mandelman Comments on Jr. Deputy Accountant.com – Holiday Sales Numbers
Written on 29 Dec, 2010 at 20:37
I'm not sure if this means anything or not, but about holiday retail activity in stores like Nordstrom... well, I live in Southern California... Orange County... the O.C. if that helps, and I took some photos of the Nordstom in... (Continue reading)
T’was the Night Before Christmas… 2010
Written on 24 Nov, 2010 at 16:01
I write this political year-in-review holiday poem every year. I love doing it, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it and will send it to others of like mind as well. Happy Holidays!... (Continue reading)
Mandelman U. Presents: There’s Credit Default Swaps & then there’s Credit Default Swaps
Written on 23 Nov, 2010 at 12:24
Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, which has been driven by borrowing over the last ten years. Even if we wanted to do so, we can't borrow our way back to prosperity this time... (Continue reading)
Well, Would You Look at That: Elizabeth Warren Might Be Replaced by a Bank Lobbyist
Written on 11 Nov, 2010 at 5:35
So, take a few minutes and write to your elected representative about this. No one else, unless you feel like it, just your person in Congress. Tell them this line of thought is unacceptable, that we want Elizabeth... (Continue reading)
OUTRAGEOUS! Morgan Stanley Money Manager Won’t Be Prosecuted for Felony
Written on 8 Nov, 2010 at 14:09
Excuse me, DA Hurlbert? You're not going to prosecute Martin Joel Erzinger for running down someone riding a bicycle and then fleeing the scene because it wouldn't look good on the guy's resume? Seriously, Mr. Hurlbert? Where... (Continue reading)
Foreclosure Fraud: Tough Issues With Which to Grapple
Written on 30 Oct, 2010 at 20:37
Just in case any children are reading this, and one never knows about such things, forgery and perjury are never found on the right path to follow when attempting to cover up, flagrant and immeasurable fraud and massive malfeasance, boys... (Continue reading)
AMERICA LOST: Treasury’s meetings with bloggers tells a story that I didn’t want to hear.
Written on 30 Aug, 2010 at 10:34
It made me sad to know what Treasury Department officials had said about the foreclosure crisis and HAMP... very, very sad. In fact, I can't think of another time in history when my government acted as these guys have... (Continue reading)
Ratings Agencies Panic: New Financial Reform Bill Means Expert Liability
Written on 21 Jul, 2010 at 19:16
Perhaps most notably, but least mentioned, the bill requires the credit rating agencies, Moody's, Fitch, and Standard & Poors, to not only be more transparent, but also potentially liable for issuing "bad ratings" on bonds. The role of the... (Continue reading)
15 Texas Homeowners Sue Bank of America for Abusive Practices – Don’t Mess With Texas
Written on 12 Jul, 2010 at 4:02
RESPA is a federal statute so I would think that this sort of thing could be happening all over the place... like in all 50 states. And it's also worth mentioning that what Bank of America is accused of... (Continue reading)
Nina Easton’s HOT Stocks for Homeowners Losing Homes
Written on 1 Jun, 2010 at 5:42
No, folks... the good news for our emerging foreclosure industry, and for my new Empty Homes Hi-Yield Bond Fund, is that our government has failed at every single turn in trying to stem the tide of foreclosures in this country,... (Continue reading)
Books That Matter: Crisis Economics, by Nouriel Roubini & Stephen Mihm
Written on 30 May, 2010 at 20:59
Roubini explains things I didn't previously understand, such as the details of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's and Treasury Secretary Geithner's response to the meltdown. Oh, I knew some of what those two had done, but not enough in terms... (Continue reading)
We Are On the Brink of a New Age of Rage
Written on 29 May, 2010 at 7:17
I'm also fearful that we've become a nation of people that doesn't believe in our democracy anymore. A nation of people who will wait for things to happen to them, rather than trying to change what happens to them.... (Continue reading)
Banks Lobbying, Financial Reforms & Who’s Recovering?
Written on 16 May, 2010 at 18:07
Like the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, they've been summoned by the bankers to our nation's capital; flying in from around the country until they hit the steps of the U.S. Capital building... when they're transformed into lobbyists... (Continue reading)
Senate Investigation Says Banks Caused Crisis, Not Borrowers
Written on 22 Apr, 2010 at 13:45
As I've said what feels like a million times in a million different ways... it wasn't the borrowers, it was the banks, and what caused the crisis was that the banks broke the bond market... and it remains broken to... (Continue reading)
Did I say HELP? I didn’t mean help. I meant OFFER to HELP. Or talk about helping. It depends on your definition of HELP.
Written on 24 Mar, 2010 at 23:53
When Obama introduced Making Home Affordable he claimed that the program would help 3-4 million homeowners, but as it turns out, the program has at best helped... and I use the term "helped" very loosely... about 170,000 homeowners to-date. ... (Continue reading)
MANDELMAN’S MONTHLY MUSELETTER ISSUE 6.0
Written on 3 Feb, 2010 at 15:54
1. Obama Administration touts success with housing. 2. Quotes about Goldman Sachs. 3. HAMP Waiver 4. FHA is Going Down 5. Florida Bankers Draft Legislation... (Continue reading)
Bringing Up the Rear: President Barack Obama
Written on 23 Jan, 2010 at 2:52
Guys... we have problems, big problems... problems that President Obama hasn't even commented on publicly since last February! Not even a comment, Mr. President? What are you thinking? And please don't say "health care reform,' because I... (Continue reading)
BREAKING NEWS: Latest U.S. Teaseury Dept. Study Shows 3.6 Billion Homeowners Have Been Offered Loan Modifications
Written on 13 Nov, 2009 at 4:21
Housing counselors and lending experts say that HAMP is having a meaningful impact on the global foreclosure rate, and Lucely Figures, a housing economist at Muddy's expects at least another 3 billion loan modifications next year. ... (Continue reading)
Get Over It America???
Written on 16 Oct, 2009 at 20:59
2. Goldman must either start lending like a bank, or it's not allowed to keep its status as a "Financial Holding Company," which is what allows it to put more than $125 BILLION at risk without having to worry about... (Continue reading)
So, It Wasn’t the Subprimers After All… What Do You Know About That?
Written on 20 Jul, 2009 at 15:18
Sub-prime borrowers hate moving... especially their refrigerators. They can't afford fancy moving companies who come pack everything up and unpack it at the next homestead. They call friends like me who are stupid enough to always own a truck. The... (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)