A class action law suit filed against Saxon Mortgage Services/Morgan Stanley alleged that the servicer improperly denied thousands of California homeowners loan modifications through the federal Home Affordable Modification Plan (HAMP), and as a result, some lost their homes to... (Continue reading)
What is a strategic default? These days, it occurs to me, there would be even less morality involved in the decision to walk away from a mortgage. I can't believe anyone actually feels morally obligated to a bank today.... (Continue reading)
In this edition you'll find: 1. Robo-signing KILLS... 2. OCC proposes credit rating duties go to banks - A real conversation with a banker-friend of mine. 3. PMI Files Bankruptcy - Regulators step in and take over yet another mortgage... (Continue reading)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Here it is... the first article I ever wrote for The Niche report magazine. Click the linked title below: Pigs, Puppets & People in Peril. Seems like soooo long ago... ... (Continue reading)
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)
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)
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)