Category Archives: subprime

Focus of New Regulation Should Be On Securitization

The election of Barack Obama as the presumptive 44th President of the United States promises to usher in an era of increased regulation of the financial markets pursuant to Obama’s platform of economic reform. So far, many commentaries on the … Continue reading

Posted in accounting, Alt-A, banks, Barack Obama, broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, lenders, mortgage market, regulation, securities, securitization, subprime | Leave a comment

Clinton Breaks Down the Credit Crisis

I happened to catch Bill Clinton on the Late Show with David Letterman earlier this month and was surprised at how much substance was contained in the interview. I encourage you to read the full text of Clinton’s explanation of … Continue reading

Posted in banks, Bill Clinton, causes of the crisis, cheap money, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, incentives, interest rates, legislation, lenders, liquidity, overinvestment, subprime | Leave a comment

Potential Jurors Unfriendly to Mortgage Lenders?

As reported by Peter Page in the National Law Journal (subscription required), a survey completed earlier this month of adults eligible for jury service found that potential jurors overwhelmingly held plaintiff-oriented perceptions with respect to suits against mortgage lenders. “Nearly … Continue reading

Posted in causes of the crisis, Howard Rice, jury trials, lenders, litigation, mortgage insurers, predatory lending, public perceptions, securitization, subprime, underwriting practices | Leave a comment

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

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

California Legislature Reaches Compromise on Subprime Reform Bill

The L.A. Times reports that the California has reached a compromise with consumer and lending groups on a bill that would guard against some of the practices that contributed to the subprime crisis. The bill, an amended version of AB … Continue reading

Posted in Alt-A, broader credit crisis, Countrywide, education, incentives, legislation, lenders, predatory lending, ratings agencies, subprime | Leave a comment

Connecticut Suit Against Countrywide Available

Rachel Dollar of the Mortgage Fraud Blog has posted the Complaint filed by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. You can view the document here. Many thanks to Ms. Dollar for her diligence in following these developments in subprime litigation.

Posted in Attorneys General, Complaints, Countrywide, lenders, litigation, subprime | Leave a comment