Remember the merry-go-round we rode when we were kids? You went round and round and tried to catch the prize, a brass ring. If you didn’t catch the brass ring – you wanted to get down but the merry-go-round kept going. Fannie and Freddie remind me of that merry-go-round as once again they appear to… [Read More]
The Epic Story of Fannie and Freddie: Is There an End in Sight?
Congress has long debated replacing Fannie and Freddie, who were at ground zero of the 2008 crisis as federally charted privately owned companies. They’d been given directives by Congress to make housing affordable, which pretty much meant: fulfill the American dream by having a chicken in every pot, a car in every driveway and a… [Read More]
They’re Back! Fannie and Freddie Ride Again
It looks as if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have not learned from their previous enabling of banks leading to the financial crisis. In fact, it looks as if the two are still using the same business model; they are lowering even further their underwriting standards to allow loans to be underwritten, ignoring student, credit… [Read More]
Why Is Our Government in the Mortgage Business?
We sure don’t want to be, but it looks like we are heading in that direction. “In the name of affordable loans, the White House is creating the conditions for a replay of the housing disaster,” states the caption in a recent WSJ article on the “coming mortgage meltdown.” [tweetthis twitter_handles=”@richardmbowen”]Why are we – oh,… [Read More]
It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again! Is the Financial Crisis Restarting?!
The recent WSJ announcement of the loosening of credit standards at Fannie and Freddie leaves me stunned. Seems as if the government doesn’t learn from experience. It is déjà vu all over again! It was reckless government policies that started the financial meltdown to begin with. This loosening of credit standards and allowing folks to… [Read More]
