Author Archives: Isaac Gradman

Protesters Converge on Front Lawn of Greenwich CEO’s Home

In another unexpected twist in the fight over the cost of loan modifications, the Stamford Times and the Greenwich Time have reported that protesters converged outside the home of Greenwich Financial Services CEO William Frey on February 8 to protest … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, causes of the crisis, costs of the crisis, Countrywide, Greenwich Financial Services, John Thain, loan modifications, NACA, pooling agreements, responsibility, William Frey | 3 Comments

Greenwich CEO William Frey Primed to Become the Lorax For Investors Without a Voice?

One of the most interesting stories we’ve been following in the world of mortgage crisis litigation has been the lawsuit filed by Greenwich Financial Services CEO William Frey against Countrywide Financial Corp., Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and Countrywide Home Loans … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, BofA, causes of the crisis, Countrywide, Greenwich Financial Services, lenders, loan modifications, repurchase, William Frey | 4 Comments

Pennsylvania Joins Countrywide Settlement, But Where Is the Money Coming From?

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, whose office spent several months investigating deceptive mortgage practices alleged against Countrywide and its affiliates, has announced that Pennsylvania has joined the $8 billion settlement announced in October with Attorneys General from now over thirty … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, BofA, Countrywide, Greenwich Financial Services, investors, lawsuits, loan modifications, pay option ARMs, settlements, stipulated judgments, subprime | 1 Comment

Subprime Shakeout Discussed in Volokh Conspiracy Post On Formation of Aggregator Bank

On January 19, 2009, Eric Posner from the Volokh Conspiracy cited to the Subprime Shakeout in his article entitled “Why should the government buy toxic assets?” The post addressed the idea of an “Aggregator Bank” that would acquire the mortgage-backed … Continue reading →

Posted in Aggregator Bank, Attorneys General, Countrywide, Government bailout, Greenwich Financial Services, investors, loan modifications, predatory lending, securities, settlements, TARP, Volokh Conspiracy | Leave a comment

New Class Action Targets Former AIG CEO Cassano

Courthouse News Service reports that a new shareholders derivative complaint has been filed in the Chancery Court in Delaware against former American International Group Financial Products (AIG-FG) CEO and president Joseph Cassano for allegedly driving AIG to ruin by losing … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, causes of the crisis, class actions, derivative lawsuits, incentives, litigation, loss causation, public perceptions, shareholder lawsuits, subprime | Leave a comment

Citigroup Becomes First Lender to Cave to Mortgage Principal Reductions by Bankruptcy Judges

It’s official: the first domino has fallen. The L.A. Times has reported that Citigroup Inc. has agreed that bankruptcy courts should be allowed to change the terms of mortgages, including ordering reductions in the principal amount of loans, as part … Continue reading →

Posted in bailout, bankruptcy, Barack Obama, cheap money, Citigroup, class actions, contract rights, homeowner relief, legislation, loan modifications, recession, Seventh Circuit, TARP, TILA, workouts | 2 Comments

Navigant Publishes Press Release on Subprime Litigation Study

Navigant Consulting has put out a press release with respect to its latest study, entitled Third Quarter 2008 Update: Breaking New Ground, which details the unprecedented rise in subprime mortgage-related litigation. Besides the eye-popping statistics showing the exponential rise in … Continue reading →

Posted in broader credit crisis, impact of the crisis, lawsuits, litigation, Navigant Consulting, recession, subprime | Leave a comment

Countrywide Attorney Sends Letter to Greenwich Financial’s Counsel Urging Hedge Fund to Withdraw Lawsuit

In a peculiar turn of events, Countrywide Financial has attempted to address the recently-filed lawsuit against it by Greenwich Financial Services with an age-old strategy of conflict resolution: just ask nicely. As reported by Reuters, Countrywide attorney John Beisner, from … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, BofA, class actions, Countrywide, Greenwich Financial Services, hedge funds, lawsuits, litigation, loan modifications, motions to dismiss, press, repurchase, settlements, workouts | Leave a comment

Newest Navigant Study Released: Shows Unprecedented Volume of Credit Crisis Litigation

Navigant Consulting, Inc. (NCI), a global consulting firm that releases quarterly reports on subprime mortgage and related case filings in the federal courts, released their newest study today, and the results are staggering (see MSN Money article here). The report, … Continue reading →

Posted in broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, class actions, investors, lawsuits, litigation, misrespresentation, Navigant Consulting, Savings and Loan crisis, securities, subprime | Leave a comment

Plaintiffs Survive Motions to Dismiss in Major Subprime Class Actions Against New Century and Countrywide

The American Lawyer has reported that two important rulings were handed down earlier this month in the United States District Court in Los Angeles denying motions to dismiss class actions against former mortgage behemoths Countrywide and New Century. The Countrywide … Continue reading →

Posted in bankruptcy, class actions, Countrywide, IndyMac, lawsuits, litigation, loss causation, mortgage fraud, motions to dismiss, New Century | Leave a comment