Archive for August, 2008

Q&A: Economist Mark Zandi

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008


Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody s Economy.com, is a frequent housing-market commentator. Now he has a new book out — Financial Shock: A 360 Degree Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis. Seems an opportune time for a Q&A — not just about the book, but also about his views on local home prices, his advice for homeowners and his take on the ripple effects of BRAC. Q. So — what can we do to avoid the next financial crisis? Zandi: Well, w

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Worst 10-year performers: MBIA takes a triple-A nosedive on risky mortgage debt

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008


Filed under: Major movement, Bad news, S and P 500, Housing, MBIA Inc (MBI) In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade what went wrong, and what happens next. (See all 25). While financial-services firms have been dragged down as a group for more than a year, few have flamed out with the spectacular ferocity of municipal bond insurer MBIA Inc. (NYSE: MBI). In fact, among equities listed on the

Q&A: Economist Mark Zandi
Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody s Economy.com, is a frequent housing-market commentator. Now he has a new book out — Financial Shock: A 360 Degree Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis. Seems an opportune time for a Q&A — not just about the book, but also about his views on local home prices, his advice for homeowners and his take on the ripple effects of BRAC. Q. So — what can we do to avoid the next financial crisis? Zandi: Well, w

Merrill’s Debt Deal Not So Cut and Dry - Street.Com
We have heard that Merrill Lynch MER is better off after having sold a bucket of mortgage debt. And we have heard that they are worse off. But how — I repeat how — can we hear about Mother Merrill’s sale of this debt without a mention of the …

Mortgage Acceleration Program - Debt Elimination Program
by Ray Lam Mortgage Debt Elimination shows that most home loan debts will be secured. Secured debts usually are tied to an asset, like your house for a mortgage. If you stop making payments, lenders can foreclose on your house. Debt consolidation mortgage loans offer several distinct advantages to buyers or consumers with significant credit card or personal loan debt. First, the consolidation can often significantly lower the overall monthly debt bill. By paying a single bill each month, the a

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Loss-hit Merrill dumps mortgage debt, raises new capital (AFP via Yahoo! News)

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008


Wall Street titan Merrill Lynch announced it was dumping billions of dollars of mortgage debt at a steep loss and raising 8.5 billion in new capital, as the US housing crisis continued to devastate the country’s banking sector.

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State, Local and Private Pensions:The Next Big Bail Out

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008


State, Local and Private Pensions:The Next Big Bail Out Posted in Europe, USA, economy by eldib on August 1st, 2008 State, Local and Private Pensions:The Next Big Bail Out By: MICHAEL HUDSON The great economic fight of our epoch is being waged by the FIRE sector Finance, Insurance and Real Estate against the industrial economy and consumers. Its objective is to maximize property prices and the volume of debt relative to what labor and industry are able to earn. Rising debts an

UPDATE 1-SIFMA faults raters, calls for global advisory board
UPDATE 1-SIFMA faults raters, calls for global advisory board July 31st, 2008 (Adds quote, rating companies, byline) By Walden Siew NEW YORK, July 31 (Reuters) - Credit rating agencies failedto check the accuracy of information they used to ratestructured bond products and may have relied on data that was suspect on its face, a U.S. financial industry group said onThursday. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Associationalso said more transparency is needed to reform a credit

Apocalypse Down Under: Aussie bank s write-offs signal doom for Wall … - Online Journal
Monday s trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was a real humdinger. It started off with the White House announcing that this year s fiscal deficit would soar to a new record of nearly $500 billion. That was followed by news of rising oil …

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Apocalypse Down Under: Aussie bank s write-offs signal doom for Wall … - Online Journal

Friday, August 1st, 2008


Monday s trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was a real humdinger. It started off with the White House announcing that this year s fiscal deficit would soar to a new record of nearly $500 billion. That was followed by news of rising oil …

MERRILL TRIMS TOXIC PAPER; STOCK JUMPS (New York Post)
Merrill Lynch’s shares enjoyed a big lift yesterday after its CEO John Thain announced plans to raise some $8.5 billion in debt and offload tens of billions in toxic mortgage debt. The troubled brokerage’s shares jumped nearly 8 percent, after…

Bush signs U.S. housing bill as Fannie Mae grows - Forbes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping rescue package aimed at resurrecting the housing market from its worst slump since the Great Depression and stabilizing the two largest mortgage finance …

Loss-hit Merrill dumps mortgage debt, raises new capital (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Wall Street titan Merrill Lynch announced it was dumping billions of dollars of mortgage debt at a steep loss and raising 8.5 billion in new capital, as the US housing crisis continued to devastate the country’s banking sector.

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Carmen’s Latest Real Estate Posts - CNBC

Friday, August 1st, 2008


I’ve received a ton of mail from you all about mortgages, managing debt and investing wisely. I’ve highlighted a pair of emails below with some answers that I hope you find helpful. Stay tuned for much more on these hot-button issues… Carmen: I don …

Mortgage Debt Elimination
Mortgage Debt Elimination by Ray Lam With the rise of consumer debt, an attractive mortgage option is the debt consolidation mortgage loan. With this loan buyers with significant consumer or personal debt can consolidate this debt into their mortgage loan. These loans offer the opportunity to gain control over your debt without resorting to a consolidation service whose aid can negatively impact your overall credit score. Unsecured debts are not tied to any asset, and include most credit c

Foreclosure How To Buy The good And Bad
by Steven McCarthy Foreclosure how to buy bank owned homes. When a homeowner misses three payments in a row the bank will usually start foreclosure proceedings. It starts with a letter from the bank stating the homeowner has missed three payments and the bank wants all past due money are they will start foreclosure proceedings. If possible you should try to buy foreclosure property before the foreclosure process begins. That way you can deal directly with the homeowner or the lender. When your

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