By Mike Colpitts An Ohio member of Congress has proposed a resolution that would enact a temporary freeze on foreclosures across the U.S. similar to the Great Depression. The proposal would enact a moratorium on all residential foreclosures. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) offered the resolution before the House Financial Services Committee. The proposal asks President… Continue reading Foreclosure Freeze Proposed
Category: Housing Market
Mortgage Modifications Fail to Deliver Recovery
By Mike Colpitts The Obama administration’s program to modify homeowner’s mortgages at risk of foreclosure is being criticized for being the worst failure since the administration faced the financial crisis. Only 730,000 mortgage holders have received permanent modifications, less than a quarter the president had promised. President Barack Obama launched the program in March 2009… Continue reading Mortgage Modifications Fail to Deliver Recovery
Justice Department Sues Largest U.S. Mortgage Insurer
By Mike Colpitts The largest U.S. mortgage guarantee company, Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) is being sued by the Justice Department for violating the Fair Housing Act for allegedly discriminating against women on paid maternity leave. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania against the mortgage insurer and… Continue reading Justice Department Sues Largest U.S. Mortgage Insurer
Comedian Jimmy Fallon Buys $5.7 Million Estate
Talk show host and comedian Jimmy Fallon, whose late night TV talk show is rising in the ratings is buying a 3,500 square foot estate in the Hamptons outside of New York City, where he hosts his nightly show. The former “Saturday Night Live” TV Weekend Update co-anchor is settling into his new digs in… Continue reading Comedian Jimmy Fallon Buys $5.7 Million Estate
Mortgage Growth Stalls on Higher Interest Rates
A sudden increase in mortgage interest rates triggered a slowdown in loan applications for the first time in more than two months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey. The index saw a fall in applications, bringing refinances to a stall. Mortgage rates rose sharply for the week on a 30-year fixed rate loan… Continue reading Mortgage Growth Stalls on Higher Interest Rates
Financial Crisis Criminal Conspiracy Unravels
By Mike Colpitts It was a criminal conspiracy in the making for nearly a decade before Colonial Bank and Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corporation came tumbling down long before the financial crisis came to a head. A high level Fannie Mae executive, Samuel Smith discovered a mortgage in January of 2000 that had been… Continue reading Financial Crisis Criminal Conspiracy Unravels
Huge Downgrade in US Housing Market
By Mike Colpitts Buffeted by high unemployment and weak consumer sentiment, housing markets are encountering sluggish home sales in the midst of what is typically the busiest home buying season of the year. Home sales should see an improvement towards the end of summer, but the average US home is projected to decline 7.1% in… Continue reading Huge Downgrade in US Housing Market
Time to Reinstate Glass Steagall
By Jeffrey Steinberg, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), with the backing of Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Jim Moran (D-VA), has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives (H.R.1489) “Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2011,” which would reinstate the original 1933 Glass Steagall Act, that broke up the Depression-era “too big to fail” banks,… Continue reading Time to Reinstate Glass Steagall
Feds Launch Wipe Out Radon Gas Program
Almost 1 in 15 U.S. homes is infected with radon gas, one of the leading causes of lung cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which just launched a major program with eight other federal agencies to encourage homeowners to have their homes inspected for the silent killer. Radon gas exposure is the leading cause… Continue reading Feds Launch Wipe Out Radon Gas Program
Mortgages Dry Up As Interest Rates Drop
Mortgage applications dried-up slightly even as interest rates dropped for the week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association survey. The composite index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume fell 2.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis as applications fell for the second straight week. Loan applications have been on an up-and-down cycle for more than… Continue reading Mortgages Dry Up As Interest Rates Drop