Author Archives: Isaac Gradman

Way Too Big to Fail Goes to Washington (Book Tour Day 3)

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Isaac Gradman

After a hiatus over the holidays, I return with Part IV of this five-part series on my experiences during a recent book tour to promote the release of Way Too Big to Fail: How Government and Private Industry Can Build … Continue reading →

Posted in Adam Levitin, bailout, balance sheets, banks, BofA, book tour, chain of title, Citigroup, conflicts of interest, Congress, foreclosure crisis, Government bailout, improper documentation, legislation, lobbying, MBS, mortgage market, negligence and recklessness, pooling agreements, regulation, Regulators, RMBS, robo-signers, Senate staffers, Servicer Safe Harbor, Timothy Geithner, too big to fail, Treasury, Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | Leave a comment

MBIA Celebrates Bransten Decision on Loss Causation; Bondholders Still Looking for Guidance

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Isaac Gradman

As loyal readers will recall, I laid it on the line a few weeks back and predicted that MBIA would win its loss causation argument against Countrywide/BofA, making the nation’s largest bank wish it had settled this bellwether piece of … Continue reading →

Posted in appeals, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, contract rights, damages, investors, Judge Jed Rakoff, Judicial Opinions, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, loss causation, MBIA, MBS, misrespresentation, monoline actions, monolines, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, rescission, RMBS, securitization, statistical sampling, The Subprime Shakeout | 5 Comments

Federal Home Loan Bank Litigation Update: MBS Cases Moving Slowly, But Steadily, Ahead for FHLBs

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

By Isaac Gradman and India Autry The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) litigation against MBS underwriters, some of the first to arise out of the sale of toxic mortgage backed securities post-crisis, is progressing slowly but surely towards trial, without … Continue reading →

Posted in banks, Blue Sky laws, choice of law, discovery, Federal Home Loan Banks, investors, lawsuits, litigation, loan files, LTV, MBS, misrespresentation, motions to dismiss, ratings agencies, remand, removability, securities fraud, securities laws, securitization, sophistication, subprime, underwriting guidelines, underwriting practices | 8 Comments

Rakoff’s Rejection of SEC Settlement with Citi Sends Stern Message to Wall Street’s Primary Regulator

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

Two days after the release of one of the most scathing judicial opinions in recent memory, the importance of federal Judge Jed Rakoff’s rejection of the SEC’s $285 million settlement with Citigroup is just beginning to sink in.  In just … Continue reading →

Posted in abacus, banks, CDOs, Citigroup, Complaints, consitutionality, costs of the crisis, damages, Goldman Sachs, investigations, investors, JPMorgan, Judge Jed Rakoff, Judicial Opinions, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, media coverage, negligence and recklessness, oversight, Paulson and Co., probes, regulation, Regulators, SEC, securities laws, settlements, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

MBS Litigation Update: Why BofA Will Lose the Loss Causation Argument and Wish It Had Settled with MBIA

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

With all eyes in the mortgage litigation world glued to the pending decision on Partial Summary Judgment in MBIA v. Countrywide, et al., commentators are beginning to speculate that a settlement may be in the offing between the two MBS … Continue reading →

Posted in Alison Frankel, allocation of loss, Bank of New York, banks, BofA, branch hill capital, causes of the crisis, Countrywide, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, loss causation, MBIA, MBS, misrespresentation, motions to dismiss, Philippe Selendy, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, quinn emanuel, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securitization, statistical sampling, Uncategorized, underwriting practices | 10 Comments

WTBTF Book Tour Day 2: Meeting, Marketing and Mentoring in Manhattan

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

I woke Tuesday morning, Nov. 8 on the second day of the Way Too Big to Fail book tour to the news that Kathy Patrick, legal architect of Bank of America’s Hail Mary Countrywide settlement (background here and here), had … Continue reading →

Posted in BlackRock, Bloomberg, BofA, book tour, Countrywide, foreclosure rate, Fox News, Greenwich Financial Services, investors, Kathy Patrick, litigation, loan modifications, loss causation, MBIA, MBS, media coverage, Morgan Stanley, mortgage market, MSNBC, PIMCO, Presentations, Regulators, The Subprime Shakeout, Uncategorized, Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | Leave a comment

Book Tour Day 1: Pessimism, Hope and Note Cards

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

My first day in New York City to promote the release of Way Too Big to Fail was a whirlwind, as expected.  I arrived into JFK at 6:00 AM and headed into Manhattan for my first stop at the Cornell … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, bailout, Dan Rather, due diligence firms, Government bailout, hedge funds, mortgage market, Neil Barofsky, putbacks, re-underwriting, Regulators, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, TARP, The Subprime Shakeout, Timothy Geithner, too big to fail, Treasury, Wall St., Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | Leave a comment

Release of “Way Too Big to Fail” Simply Opening Salvo in Efforts to Reform Mortgage Finance

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

It’s tempting when you have an enormous task before you to focus all of your attention on completing that task while blocking out any thoughts of what comes next.  For me, that enormous task has been the publication of a … Continue reading →

Posted in allocation of loss, appeals, Bank of New York, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, causes of the crisis, contract rights, Countrywide, discovery, FHFA, global settlement, investors, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, liabilities, litigation, lobbying, loss causation, MBIA, monoline actions, mortgage market, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, regulation, Regulators, remand, repurchase, RMBS, securitization, settlements, statistical sampling, successor liability, The Subprime Shakeout, Uncategorized, Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | 1 Comment

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Determines BofA $8.5 bn Settlement Belongs in Federal Court

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

Though Bank of America (BofA) has taken its share of lumps over the past six months, this may be the one that leaves the biggest mark.  In an opinion issued today in the Southern District of New York (available here … Continue reading →

Posted in Bank of New York, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, class actions, conflicts of interest, contract rights, Countrywide, damages, fiduciary duties, global settlement, Grais and Ellsworth, Greenwich Financial Services, investors, lawsuits, litigation, loss estimates, MBS, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, remand, removability, repurchase, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, settlements, The Subprime Shakeout, Trustees, Uncategorized, William Frey | 4 Comments

Originator Business Models Led Inevitably to Housing Crash

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Isaac Gradman

by Steve Ruterman, guest blogger It has been four years since the onset of the epic economic and capital markets fiasco known as the housing crash, and this crisis is far from over.  Because the housing and mortgage finance industries … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, banks, broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, Complaints, Countrywide, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, guest posts, incentives, interest rates, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, MBIA, MBS, mortgage market, private label MBS, research, RMBS, securitization, The Subprime Shakeout, Uncategorized, Way Too Big to Fail, William Frey | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment