Hurricane Irene May Hit $35 Billion in Damages

By Mike Colpitts The economic damages caused by Hurricane Irene as it barrels in on the Atlantic coastline forecast to make landfall in North Carolina could hit as high as $35 billion, according to insurance estimates made prior to the storm even making landfall. However, as scientific modelers race to come up with a dollar… Continue reading Hurricane Irene May Hit $35 Billion in Damages

Super-Star Robert De Niro Sells Home

By Mike Colpitts Academy award winning super-star Robert De Niro, who has played a financial mobster in the movies perhaps more than any other actor is putting his Manhattan home up for sale after nearly four decades. The New York native didn’t make the decision to place his townhouse on the market lightly. De Niro… Continue reading Super-Star Robert De Niro Sells Home

Court Orders Mortgage Operation Shut Down

By Mike Colpitts A New York judge has ordered the shutdown of a company that promised to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure obtain mortgage modifications. The temporary injunction was ordered by Nassau County Judge John Galasso after a year long legal campaign against the company across the U.S., which collected millions of dollars in… Continue reading Court Orders Mortgage Operation Shut Down

Treasuries Trigger Lower Mortgage Rates

By Mike Colpitts U.S. Treasury bonds unexpectedly hit their lowest level in more than two years Monday as financial markets reacted to the S&P downgrade of U.S. credit. The drop in Treasury rates, hitting 2.32% on the benchmark 10-year note in late afternoon trading was a reversal from what financial analysts had expected, sending mortgage… Continue reading Treasuries Trigger Lower Mortgage Rates

Banks Demolish Thousands of Homes

By Mike Colpitts Swamped by foreclosures banks and mortgage lenders are demolishing homes in some of the hardest hit real estate markets in the U.S. after they foreclose on them in order to free up capital and get a tax write-off on the properties. JP Morgan Chase donated 1,900 homes since 2008 to be demolished… Continue reading Banks Demolish Thousands of Homes

MERS Orders Foreclosure Halt

By Mike Colpitts The electronic mortgage registration company at the center of the robo signing scandal has ordered a halt to foreclosures in an effort to protect itself from legal problems in the growing foreclosure crisis. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) has issued a new policy on its website advising members not to foreclose or… Continue reading MERS Orders Foreclosure Halt

Former Homeowners Not Hurt By Bad Credit

By Kevin Chiu The threat of bad credit isn’t hurting millions of former homeowners who have undergone foreclosure when it comes to finding a new place to live. Landlords are even getting used to hearing from foreclosure victims applying for homes and apartments to rent. In fact, the plight of former homeowners isn’t even considered… Continue reading Former Homeowners Not Hurt By Bad Credit

Donald Trump’s Best Friend Lists $10 Million Estate

Billionaire gambling magnate Phillip Ruffin, who is Donald Trump’s best friend is putting his 8,000 square foot Palos Verdes, California estate on the market to sell after owning the home only five years. Ruffin sold the New Frontier Hotel and Casino to the owners of New York’s Plaza hotel for $1.2 billion in the midst… Continue reading Donald Trump’s Best Friend Lists $10 Million Estate

Foreclosure Freeze Proposed

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

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