Author Archives: Isaac Gradman

Howard Rice Issues Press Release Featuring Attorney Blogs

In a bit of shameless self-promotion, I note that The Subprime Shakeout was featured, along with Steve Mayer’s blog, The California Constitution, in a press release issued by Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin about the firm’s promotion of … Continue reading →

Posted in Howard Rice, press, subprime | Leave a comment

Wikipedia Subprime Timeline a Comprehensive (and Opinionated) Resource

I just discovered the Wikipedia Subprime Crisis Impact Timeline that provides a great resource to those trying to understand what this crisis is and how we got here. The timeline spans 40 years from 1968 to the present, including the … Continue reading →

Posted in bailout, banks, Ben Bernanke, causes of the crisis, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, Hank Paulson, legislation, regulation, securitization, subprime, takeover, timeline, Treasury, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

BofA Settles Countrywide Suits with State Attorneys General for $8.68 billion. Deal Said to Provide Homeowners with More Relief than Federal Bailout

On October 6, California Attorney General Jerry Brown (pictured at left) announced that Bank of America, parent of Countrywide Financial Corp., had agreed to pay $8.68 billion to modify the home loans of over 400,000 homeowners in a negotiated settlement … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, bailout, banks, BofA, borrower fraud, Countrywide, Government bailout, homeowner relief, Jerry Brown, lawsuits, legislation, liquidity, predatory lending, stability | 4 Comments

Seventh Circuit Disallows Class Actions for TILA Violations

In August, I wrote about a major Seventh Circuit ruling on the way that could open the doors for borrowers to file class actions against mortgage lenders to rescind their loans. On September 24, the Seventh Circuit issued its ruling, … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrews v. Chevy Chase, appeals, banks, Chevy Chase, Complaints, lenders, litigation, predatory lending, rescission, Seventh Circuit, TILA | Leave a comment

Not-So-Free Market: Group of Large Hedge Funds Expected to Sue FSA Over Short-Selling Ban

Thanks to Bryan Carter and the Tuscan Group for passing along this article on the litigation expected to arise from the U.K. regulator’s decision to ban short-selling for financial company stocks. On September 18, England’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced … Continue reading →

Posted in FSA, hedge funds, investors, liquidity, litigation, SEC, short-selling, volatility | Leave a comment

Desperate to Stem Tide of the Credit Crisis, Fed and Treasury Propose What Could Be Largest Bailout in U.S. History. How Far Will the Fed Go?

In another desperate move to inject liquidity into the marketplace, the heads of the Fed and the Treasury began discussions with Congress late yesterday on legislation that would allow the Government to purchase hundreds of billions of dollars of depressed … Continue reading →

Posted in acquisitions, AIG, bailout, Bear Stearns, BofA, class actions, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, Government bailout, JPMorgan, jurisdiction, Merrill Lynch, shareholder lawsuits, TARP, Treasury | Leave a comment

Fed Takeover of Freddie and Fannie May Provide Temporary Stability, But Is it Just a Band-Aid?

By now, most have heard the news that the Federal Government stepped in on Sunday to exercise the authority granted to it by Congress in July to bail out government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The major … Continue reading →

Posted in broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, education, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, legislation, lenders, liquidity, mortgage market, securitization, stability, subprime, takeover | 1 Comment

Borrowers Will Be Borrowers

Despite the increased attention directed at mortgage fraud since the collapse of the subprime market, fraud continues to be a major issue in newly-originated loans, reports the Mortgage Asset Research Institute (MARI). The study showed a 42% increase in in … Continue reading →

Posted in borrower fraud, incentives, MARI, mortgage fraud, overstated income, regulation, subprime | Leave a comment

Indiana Piles On

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter has brought a lawsuit against Countrywide Financial Corp., making it the latest of a half dozen states going after the nation’s former number one mortgage lender for improper lending practices (see Reuters article here). This … Continue reading →

Posted in acquisitions, Attorneys General, banks, BofA, Complaints, Countrywide, lenders, liabilities, litigation, predatory lending, subprime | Leave a comment

Countrywide Sued by New Mexico Pension and Investment Funds

The Chicago Times reports that Countrywide has been sued on behalf of New Mexico’s state Investment Council, the Educational Retirement Board and the Public Employees Retirement Association for both conning homeowners into mortgages they could not afford and duping investors … Continue reading →

Posted in acquisitions, Countrywide, IndyMac, lenders, litigation, New Century, predatory lending, securities | Leave a comment