Category: Foreclosure

Dirty Money Trail From Wall Street to Main Street

By Mike Colpitts The dirty money trail left in the wake of the financial crisis leads from Wall Street to Washington, D.C. all the way to Main Street. No other single factor has had as much of an impact on the collapse of the U.S. housing market as members of Congress lining their pockets with… Continue reading Dirty Money Trail From Wall Street to Main Street

Housing Market Bottoms Hit as Home Values Escalate

By Mike Colpitts Following years of hard times, declining home values and a record volume of foreclosures, the housing market is finally hitting the bottom in at least some U.S. cities, and it can’t come soon enough for plenty of others. North Dakota, South Dakota and parts of Texas are booming with oil and natural… Continue reading Housing Market Bottoms Hit as Home Values Escalate

Real Estate Sales Jump to End Year Higher

By Mike Colpitts The year ended with a bang in real estate as existing home sales jumped 5% in December to end 2011 with the third straight month of higher sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. Low mortgage rates and lower home prices pushed sales to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.61 million… Continue reading Real Estate Sales Jump to End Year Higher

Tougher Sanctions on Banks Proposed

By Kevin Chiu U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is calling for tougher sanctions on banks abandoning homes they foreclose on leaving tax payers on the hook to maintain properties, and tougher standards to prevent evictions of families. “Too many Wall Street banks are walking away from too many Ohio Main Street communities,” said Brown. “And… Continue reading Tougher Sanctions on Banks Proposed

Foreclosure Activity Drops 34% in 2011

By Mike Colpitts Court ordered moratoriums halting foreclosures produced a 34% drop in the number of homes entering the foreclosure process in 2011, according to foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac. The slowdown in activity came as lenders reviewed foreclosures in the pipeline after bank servicing employees admitted to making illegal forgeries on what is likely to be… Continue reading Foreclosure Activity Drops 34% in 2011

Money Trail Triggered Real Estate Collapse

By Mike Colpitts Following mostly decades of the appearance of propriety at the highest levels of U.S. government, an ugly money trail from special interest groups leads to members of Congress, which triggered the real estate market collapse. It’s been more than a year-and-a-half since President Barack Obama signed financial reform legislation into law. But… Continue reading Money Trail Triggered Real Estate Collapse

Bankers Expect Growing Mortgage Delinquencies

By Mike Colpitts Bankers expect delinquencies on mortgages and most consumer loans to rise as the housing market remains troubled, according to a survey conducted for FICO. Nearly half of the bankers polled by the Professional Risk Managers International Association or 47% said they expect mortgage delinquencies to increase, while only 13% expect defaults to… Continue reading Bankers Expect Growing Mortgage Delinquencies

Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011

By Mike Colpitts Home prices tumbled an average of 4.3% on a year-over-year basis through last November, according to real estate analytics firm CoreLogic. The company’s Home Price Index, released Monday, confirmed what other real estate research companies reported – that home prices fell less in 2011 than 2010. The Santa Ana, California based firm… Continue reading Home Prices Tumbled Less in 2011

Divided Over Forcing Banks to Increase Mortgages

Americans are divided over whether the Obama administration should issue an executive order forcing banks to make more home mortgages and loans to business to help the U.S. economy recover from the worst hit since the Great Depression, according to a new Housing Predictor poll. The online survey was taken over the last month, and… Continue reading Divided Over Forcing Banks to Increase Mortgages