TARP On A Businesslike Basis: Why A Corporate Approach Is Needed
REQUIRED READING: The closest historical analogue to the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is the Reconstruction Finance Corp. (RFC) of the 1930s....
FHFA Proposes New GSE Housing Goals
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sent a proposed rule to the Federal Register establishing new housing goals for government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)...
How To Recognize Imperfect Workflow
REQUIRED READING: Suppose for a moment that Henry Ford had to deliver 100 automobiles - all different models and with different features -...
GGP Responds To Simon Offer
General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP), the bankrupt mall owner, has sent a letter to Simon Property Group Inc. in response to Simon's unsolicited...
CRE Finance Update, Part I: A Sign Of Life And A Possible New Source...
The once-vital, now-dormant commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market took another small symbolic step toward reinvigoration last week, when Keystone Property Group completed a...
Bankers In Heels Vs. Bankers As Heels
BLOG VIEW: The news from Haiti has been very upsetting, and many Americans have generously gone out of their way to show their...
Best Capital Sources In An Altered Market
REQUIRED READING: Industry news headlines often provide valuable, high-level information on future trends, but there is also great value in looking to one's...
Congress Seeking To Stop CRE ‘Infection’
Once again, commercial real estate's continued woes have prompted intense concern and investigation in the U.S. Congress. As other sectors of the economy...
How A Centralized Loan Exchange Can Aid Secondary Market Stabilization
REQUIRED READING: In the aftermath of the credit crisis and the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as private entities, it is...
Excellen REO’s Cary Sternberg Assesses Asset Management Challenges
PERSON OF THE WEEK:Â Managing distressed assets requires the ability to also manage investor expectations, says Cary Sternberg, president of Titanium Holdings' recently...
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
BLOG VIEW: Everyone knows that the U.S. flag has 50 stars, with each corresponding to a state in the union. In view...
Changing The Rules In Michigan’s Bankruptcy Process
REQUIRED READING: Working in the bankruptcy world for the first half of 2009 has been both interesting and challenging. Not only have we...
Nonperforming Loans Introduce Title Risks
REQUIRED READING: When borrowers stop making payments on their mortgages, it is likely that they have also stopped paying other obligations. When those...
FHFA Acting Director Provides GSE Update
Keeping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under conservatorship 'cannot be a long-term solution,' Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency...
Jan Wetzel Puts The Spotlight On Quality Control
PERSON OF THE WEEK: It is safe to say that a decided lack of quality control helped to fuel the current crisis facing...
Putting Payday Lenders In The Viewfinder
BLOG VIEW: I am not a fan of payday loan operations. These unregulated financial service providers offer quickie loans that include an absurdly...
When Forensic Loan Audits Are Used Against Lenders
REQUIRED READING: For the past couple of years, it has become a fairly common practice for lenders and servicers to employ forensic loan...
Karl E. Geier On The Trouble With Complex Mortgages
PERSON OF THE WEEK: When an intricately structured commercial mortgage deal completed during the securitization era runs into trouble, arranging a modification palatable...
Examining The Enforceability Of Securitized Mortgages
REQUIRED READING: An important and far-reaching decision recently issued by the Massachusetts Land Court significantly changes the state's foreclosure practice and detrimentally affects...
FHA Pulls Lender Support, Takes Numerous Actions
Less than a week after the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced it would pursue legislative authority to increase its lender enforcement options, the...