BLOG VIEW: Dancing With The Slobs
Last week's brouhaha over the super-juicy bonuses received by the executives of bailed-out American International Group (AIG) was a stunning example...
BLOG VIEW: The Red Light Is Our Friend
My friend Jason is the world's worst driver. If the Geithner and Bernanke offerings are any indication, the new modus operandi...
BLOG VIEW: Help Wanted: Financial Product Czar
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Tuesday suggested via legislation that a commission be created to keep an eye on the financial services industry...
BLOG VIEW: Fannie And Freddie As Permanent Wards Of The State?
I have to stop reading the financial newspapers while having my breakfast because it is bad for my digestive system. The...
BLOG VIEW: Small Banks, Large Banks And The Mortgage Banking Problem
To call the banks the core of the U.S. banking system might seem slightly redundant. But for a financial healing to take place...
BLOG VIEW: State Bonds For An Embattled Housing Market?
One of the main concerns regarding government intervention in the current housing crisis is the question of financing the various bailout/rescue...
BLOG VIEW: A Look Ahead, A Look Behind
If nothing else, President Obama has good timing. Last week, when he laid out his Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan (HASP), a wide...
BLOG VIEW: Two Halves At The Edge Of A Hole
Last week, a proposal was placed before the Michigan state Legislature to implement a 90-day moratorium on residential foreclosures. The focus of the...
BLOG VIEW: The Overlooked Merits Of The Geithner Plan
Before we fully shift the policy spotlight to President Obama's recently unveiled Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, the finance industry - particularly commercial...
BLOG VIEW: Not Seeing The Bigger Picture
Not unlike the rest of the country, I found myself channeling Clara Peller when reviewing last week's bailout plan as presented by Treasury...
BLOG VIEW: A Foreclosure Plan IOU
After weeks of anticipation, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's new Financial Stability Plan mostly failed to live up to expectations, due in large part...
BLOG VIEW: Pay Attention To Payday Lenders
In today's rough economy, many people are turning to payday loan companies to help with their financial troubles. The mortgage banking industry has...
BLOG VIEW: Fannie, Freddie And The “Original” Rental Housing
Troubled government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, still snugly nestled in their federal conservatorships, have officially begun helping homeowners become renters....
BLOG VIEW: The Buck Stops…Somewhere Else
Last week, the Associated Press published an article about the people running the major banks that received billions in Troubled Asset Recovery Program...
BLOG VIEW: Are Bankruptcy Cramdowns For Real?
Two developments that the servicing community should find noteworthy have taken shape this week. One deals with the again-red-hot bankruptcy cramdown issue; the...
BLOG VIEW: Is A Bad Bank A Good Idea?
Are you ready for another government agency to handle the current crisis? If the buzz out of Washington is correct, it appears there...
BLOG VIEW: Tangled Up In Mezz: The New Commercial Foreclosure Snags
Over the past several months, we have seen a herd of new firms and new divisions appear in response to increasing distress among...
BLOG VIEW: A Ray Of Good News…But Can It Last?
Anyone looking for the silver lining in today's industry can find it in a recent report from the Department of Housing and Urban...
BLOG VIEW: Halftime’s Over: What To Do With The Next $350 Billion
When President-elect Obama is sworn into the nation's highest office Tuesday, will he have the $350 billion remainder of TARP waiting for him,...
BLOG VIEW: I Heard The News Today (Oh Boy!)…
Before I began writing this column, I scanned the headlines of the day's news, and I found myself numb over the latest unemployment...