But I Thought It Was Just A “Panic”?

But I Thought It Was Just A "Panic"? Courtesy of Karl Denninger at The Market Ticker Or so we were told… Remember, the values at which subprime mortgage bonds were trading at reflected "irrational fear" and "unreasonable expectations of default." Really? * As of last week, the ABX index of sub-prime mortgage debt showed that AAA-rated securities from early 2007 were trading at 28 cents on the dollar – AA was at 4 cents, near all-time lows. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-14 02:05:36

Blog posts (311) | Videos (96)
 

Refinances Booming? Not As Much As You Think

Discount all the reports you read about Americans lining up to refinance their mortgages and take advantage of the lowest rates ever ... down. Only about a third of U.S. mortgage debt outstanding is likely to qualify for refinancing ... or Freddie Mac in the highest-cost areas. “The refinance boom is mostly impacting the people who need help [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 00:46:03

Rule of Thumb For Reasonable Housing Costs?

In an earlier post on motivating myself to work harder, I had thrown out a piece of “common” financial advice: ... from a mortgage calculator. The “other debt” is the sum of your other recurring monthly liabilities - car loans, credit card balances, student loan payments. There are usually two lender ratios [more...]

Date: 2008-09-10 13:58:59

Devise your own Credit Repair Plan

by Rob Kosberg One day you realize that you are in a serious personal financial disaster situation ... , and credit card statements, mortgage and insurance records. Locate debt worksheets on the internet ... debt. Decide which credit cards, and loans that you will pay down in order. For the first [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 23:03:41

Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle Suspends Dividend

The FHLBs are probably about to become a huge story. From Bloomberg: Seattle FHLB Likely Short of Capital on Mortgage Debt (hat tip Brian) ... and “excess” stock repurchases, after the declining value of mortgage bonds likely led ... with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today. ... The FHLB system has $1.25 trillion of debt, making [more...]

Date: 2009-01-13 16:19:46

FANNIE AND FREDDIE MAC ON THE BRINK

Continued sharp slide in shares of mortgage finance firms raises new concerns about need for new capital, threat of government takeover [ ... , or about half the mortgage debt in the country. They play a central role in the U.S. housing market ... of the companies if their problems worsen. The shares started to erase early losses when word came [more...]

Date: 2008-07-11 15:26:26

Underwater In A Way We Have Never Seen

The Denver Post reports from Colorado. “David Craig knows how draining it can be to make payments on a home that is worth less than the mortgage debt on it. The Brighton-area resident and his wife have struggled the past two years to carry not one, but two, homes valued at less than what’s owed on them. ‘You hear about how bad the economy [more...]

Date: 2008-12-02 18:07:48

Refis

On the eve of the closing for my refinancing, I notice this from the W$J: ... ). Now I understand why: Only about a third of U.S. mortgage debt outstanding is likely to qualify ... Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgage loans for prime borrowers have fallen to below [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 16:42:15

I know how to spend stimulus

[ The sign for a Citibank bank branch and a street sign are seen in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 24, 2008. The U.S ... to the taxpayers. It's great that some people were able to save or pay down debt. As far as blowing it on gas ... . This time the amount should be higher to allow us to pay off our debts, mortgages and loans. This would [more...]

Date: 2008-12-01 16:48:13

Declare Bankruptcy, or Tough It Out?

One of our readers, Jill, had this question for us: Mr. Credit Card, We have kept up all our payments and haven’t been 30 days late in 5 years ... us any? We currently owe 38,000 in unsecured debt, 116,000 on two mortgages on our home which is valued ... go about taking that path first, then we’ll look at the reverse situation. Right now, you are [more...]

Date: 2008-11-11 09:45:44

Mortgage Cram-Down Legislation Moves Ahead

From Reuters: a href=”http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE5045P220090105″Lawmakers set new mortgage bankruptcy bill/a blockquoteLegislation designed to stem foreclosures by allowing bankruptcy judges to erase some mortgage debt will be introduced by Congressional Democrats on Tuesday, and hopes are high [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 05:59:06

Anatomy of a Mall Empire

Talk about maturity mismatch, buried inside the Journal’s story about the fall of the Bucksbaum mall empire, General Growth, ... of new debt-trading markets. In the mid-1990s, lenders started slicing up commercial mortgages and selling them to multiple investors as bonds. The boom in trading made mortgage-backed debt much [more...]

Date: 2008-12-09 16:05:39

20 tips for living on one income

Thanks to everyone who came by with Christmas greetings over the holidays. Hanno and I appreciated them very much ... and one of you loses your job?Your main goal is to keep your home, feed your family and pay off your debt ... it a try. We had already paid off our mortgage but we had a small amount of debt on our credit cards [more...]

Date: 2008-12-29 04:21:00

The Consequences Of Devil-May-Care Lending

The Des Moines Register reports from Iowa. “Deb Baker believes she’s one of about 31, ... go to existing homeowners and pitch debt consolidation financing’ with the promise of helping homeowners save ... all of that debt into the mortgage. So, these brokers would align themselves with unscrupulous [more...]

Date: 2008-12-08 15:54:59

How To Do A Short Sale

Why Would a Lender Accept a Short Sale? By Elizabeth Weintraub A short sale in real estate is not always a pleasant transaction ... credit, embarrasses the family and strips an owner of dignity is one of the hardest. For owners ... conditions pursuant to the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007, be aware the I.R.S. could [more...]

Date: 2009-01-11 18:17:51

Home Ownership: Road To The Poor House!

By Tom Graneau Most home buyers believe that they are on a path to financial prosperity as a result of buying a home ... nightmare? Research indicates that millions of people assume thousands of dollars in mortgage debt ... than the house. “Home equity” (the appreciated value of the house, over debt owed) is the eventual [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 14:11:54

Beneficial Finance - Mortgage Review

Beneficial Finance, does personal, auto, and mortgage lending as a retail subsidiary of mega-bank parent HSBC Group (NYSE: HBC) ... of Beneficial Finance should be avoided. They are big pushers of credit cards, home equity loans, and debt consolidation mortgages. You can’t expect much better being a subsidiary of HSBC Mortgage [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 22:05:31

New Ventures and Personal Goals

Wow, it has been over a month since my last post. Impressive, isn’t it? ... you know that the advanced mode of the windows calculator can also convert from binary to decimal ... . On an even more personal note, I have made it a goal to pay off all of our non-mortgage debt [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 15:58:04

Congress Dismayed By The Direction Of Paulson’s ‘$700 Billion Plane’

Today, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson appeared before the House Financial Services Committee — alongside Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and ... up just about everything but mortgages, including credit card debt. But as Andrew Jakabovics explained, “ ... Relief Program (TARP). During the hearing, Congress voiced its displeasure with Paulson. [more...]

Date: 2008-11-19 00:00:30

Trepidation About Quantitative Easing, Version 2.0

The Fed made official its move to quantitative easing today, and said it will take no prisoners until it has lowered rates and credit spreads further ... of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities to provide support to the mortgage and housing [more...]

Date: 2008-12-17 10:28:49

David Cameron on the ‘failure of moral leadership’

It is heartening indeed to hear David Cameron talk of a ‘day of reckoning’ for those responsible for the financial mess in which we find ourselves ... are bequeathed a frightening inheritance of colossal debt, negative equity and perpetual mortgage. Mr Cameron ... of the prophets of old. Mr Cameron said there should not be ‘ [more...]

Date: 2008-12-16 07:14:00

How can Debt People help you?

by Mike King Often people who find themselves in huge debt seek help from financial advisors or debt management companies ... one with more options. Credit checks is another vital program provided under debt management services. Many ... mortgage, and credit card bills etc. When you suffer from a huge amount of different due debts, often [more...]

Date: 2008-07-20 20:03:00

SIFMA Has a Cow: “CMOs weakened relative to TBA bonds” to be Recycled into TBA

Under the plan, dealers can re-package collateralized mortgage obligations, or CMOs, with attributes similar to plain-vanilla "agency" mortgage debt. Reconstituted issues can trade in the so-called "to-be-announced" (TBA) market — ... sight-unseen. ——————- 1 : "US mortgage bond market liquidity measure approved", by Al Yoon [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 07:01:08

What is a cram down in bankruptcy?

We’re answering this question a lot lately more than likely because of the headlines Citigroup — among the largest financial institutions on the ... of the economy — and more and more troubled mortgage borrowers falling deeper into debt — it appears that Citigroup is willing to go along with a possible major plan to help alleviate  the foreclosure [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 17:28:09

Kashkari Now Packing 4.5 Revolver: Cenbanks Edge Away from Treasury Target Practice

"Oh my … " - blogger Calculated Risk (Dec 3, 2008) Careful where you’re pointing that thing, Neel! OK, so the gang that couldn’t ( ... to 4.5. Meanwhile, back at the Agency Debt Ranch, I see our old friends the bond-holding foreign central ... mortgage-backed securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae [more...]

Date: 2008-12-05 07:02:07

A helping hand with credit card debt is necessary many United States debtors

As of the moment here in our beloved country of the USA we’re experiencing a uncommonly bad state of affairs financially ... loan and the second is credit card debt settlement. Debt consolidation loans can end up being pretty ... . However a mortgage like this could make your life a little simpler. Debt settlement is a different [more...]

Date: 2008-12-18 16:28:03

Someone at Credit Suisse has a wicked sense of humor

It really is a thing of beauty (via Bloomberg): Credit Suisse Group AG's investment bank has found a new way to reduce the risk of losses from ... bonuses. The bank will use leveraged loans and commercial mortgage- backed debt, some of the securities ... compensation packages, people familiar with the matter said. The new policy applies only to managin [more...]

Date: 2008-12-18 22:08:35

Should Christians Use Credit Cards?

This post was written by Linda Bustos is an editor for Creditor Web, where you can learn about debt forum. The Bible gives wise advice that we should not go into debt. There aremany reasons for this – ... there can be understandablereasons to go into debt – a mortgage, a student loan, a car loan – thedebt in itself [more...]

Date: 2008-07-03 12:07:00

AG urges Congress to changes to help distressed homeowners

Washington's Attorney General has joined 21 other attorneys general to encourage Congress to loosen bankruptcy rules in an effort to reduce home foreclosures. Current bankruptcy laws allow judges to readjust mortgage debt on vacation homes and farms, but not on primary residences. The attorneys general would like to see that changed [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 22:13:01

Mortgage Market Week in Review

I’ve got to tell you, I’d love to be able to write one of my Friday updates and tell you about some good news or tell you, “You know, ... side (the stock markets) and the debt side (bonds, loans, mortgages, Fed Funds, and all other types ... of a few firms, a total meltdown.    On the debt side, it really was very close to a nuclear reactor [more...]

Date: 2008-09-19 20:26:22

Best of KCLau’s Money Tips 2008

2008 is an exciting year for me. I was able to build more income streams and therefore increase my overall income compared to the previous year ... you are looking for about Bursa Malaysia Case Study: Consolidating Personal Loan, Mortgage and Credit Card Debt Do you have the assets to pay for your liabilities? Personal Asset Inventory Template How [more...]

Date: 2009-01-11 23:00:36

Why not just give US the money?

Lame Duck Teasury Secretary Henry Paulsen insisted on talking again today, as did his boss, sending the markets south, ... the risk that big investors took when they bought junk credit card and mortgage debt. Then, magically ... toward consumer loans in the form of credit cards, auto loans and student loans, as well as some forms [more...]

Date: 2008-11-25 19:38:09

Should You Stop Paying Your Mortgage?

As we move through this newly admitted recession that everyone already knew about, ... . This law was originally enacted to cover debt forgiven in 2007, 2008 and 2009 but has since been extended to 2013. From the IRS website: Homeowners whose mortgage debt was partly or entirely [more...]

Date: 2008-12-10 01:40:43

The Gasoline Tax And The Renaissance Of The Bicycle

With the rise of the US automobile industry, the bicycle almost disappeared as a means of transportation in America ... -guzzling ways." It's better to use the money for mortgage payments, credit card debt, or a rainy day ... American public roads in good repair. They determined that the deficit between revenue and expense [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 00:31:42

Citigroup and Bankrutcy Judges Join Forces to Save Homeowners from Foreclosure

News came out today that may help many homeowners who are facing problems with their mortgage ... to follow suit. Known as “cramdown,” the rewrite would let bankruptcy court judges erase some mortgage debt to help bankrupt homeowners better handle their payments, subject to strict conditions [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 22:36:43

Net Worth December 2008

Finally, I'm wrapping up my 2008 numbers! Today I'll tackle net worth, and I'll post expense and income numbers tomorrow ... to have no debt other than my mortgage-- I had a little more outstanding on my credit card at the end ... growing as I pay down the mortgage-- this assumes that the market value of my home has stayed the same [more...]

Date: 2009-01-12 14:26:33

Debt to Income Ratios or "What do you mean we can't afford peanut butter?!?"

Happy New Year everyone!Yes, I'm way behind. If you've noticed that things have been quiet around here it's because I took a much needed 2 week ... back on track. This week I'm settling back into a more normal routine. So on to the post!This morning I came across two great blog posts on ratios including:1. Debt to income ratio2. Mortgage [more...]

Date: 2009-01-12 20:00:00

How Should We Help Underwater Home Owers ?

Martin Feldstein has another plan to fix housing. It is a variation of the 30/20/10 plan I proposed earlier in the year, ... , recourse loan: “More than 12 million homeowners now have mortgage debt that exceeds the value ... take other assets or income to make up the difference between the unpaid loan balance and the lower [more...]

Date: 2008-11-18 12:40:23

On My Mind

I spend bunches of time inside my own head, thinking, planning, scheming, and dreaming ... through our pantry a little bit and clean out old inventory.  Its a good “tightening the belt,” ... debt is our mortgage, and dreaming of the day when Jeff and I don’t have to leave each other 5 days [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 08:04:08

Reverse Mortgages can Benefit Elderly

As an independent, family company (my father founded Lger holidays in 1983) ... from Scottish widows swap ratio hill may induce patchy measure mortgages grow . IVAs and Debt Management ... in some simple details at our website(www. A change credit gives you notes based on the justness [more...]

Date: 2008-12-19 16:15:44

Debt Payoff Refinance - Mortgage Rate and Tip For 1-7-09

Real Mortgage Rate and Tip For Today One min. Podcast Ask Terri A Question - Click Here! ... like credit cards or car loans. You can’t use all of your equity. There has to still be 10% equity left in your home or an loan to value of 90%. These used to be very popular right after the holidays to payoff [more...]

Date: 2009-01-07 16:31:45

Top 17 Reasons Homeowner’s Default On Their Mortgage

Top 17 Reasons Homeowner’s Default On Their Mortgage Posted by Aaron Rice under For Buyers, For Realty Professionals, For Sellers, ... 16. Too much debt 17. Inheritance Most mortgage companies or lenders require the hardship letter ... who contact us on a daily basis to help determine the value of their assets. You can be sure [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 14:59:13

12 Confessions Of A Home Mortgage Collector [Wells Fargo]

A former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage home collector has stepped forth from the shadows to tell you what's really going on ... my own copy of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and even then most people in WFHM ... . Bankruptcy will not forgive a mortgage debt. 4. Fight your bankruptcy fees with a passion! WFHM [more...]

Date: 2008-09-10 16:36:38

Rethinking The Early Mortgage Payoff

By Julie Rains The borrow-at-a-low-interest-rate-and-invest-to-get-greater-returns mentality was so embedded in our ... mortgage payoff question is: if you weren't using your money to pay off the mortgage, what would you be using the money for? Here are some alternative uses of extra cash: Pay off non-mortgage debt [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 15:41:42

Reflecting On Goals For 2008 and Moving On To 2009

Last year, all the goals I set were based on debt elimination and how much per month we could pay to debt ... s student loan under $5500 (snowball calculator says $5847) I more than met both these goals ... in October, and then paid off our remaining car loan in November.  The only non-mortgage debt we have left [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 14:25:07

Fed's Latest Rescue Package Throws Lifeline to Home Buyers

According to this Reuters article, the Fed announced a new rescue package of $800 billion USD to lower the cost of home purchases, credit card and student loans. Under the new mortgage program, the Fed will buy up to $100 billion of debt issued by government-sponsored mortgage enterprises Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac [more...]

Date: 2008-11-26 09:12:56

How to Deleverage Balance Sheets

Bouncing around trading desks: Credit Suisse is using a novel approach to deleverage its balance sheet…using its illiquid assets to pay bonuses; ... its real! Credit Suisse Group AG’s investment bank has found a new way to reduce the risk of losses ... bonuses. The bank will use leveraged loans and commercial mortgage- backed debt [more...]

Date: 2008-12-18 19:00:02

Citi Throws Weight Behind Cram-Downs

In a move that clearly caught much of the financial and mortgage markets by surprise late Thursday, Citigroup, Inc. (C: 6.92 -3.35%) agreed with key legislators on a plan that would allow bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of mortgages during debt restructuring. The move is a surprising break from the financial industry’s long [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 14:38:23

US Interest Rates Zero to 0.25% and soon 4.5% US mortgages

Hale Bonddad Steward at Huffington Post has a lot of charts that show the bad financial situation ... to refinance a mortgage at 4.5%. The Fed and the Treasury appear ready to start buying up large quantities of securities -- government debt, mortgages, commercial loans, even stocks -- from banks [more...]

Date: 2008-12-16 20:29:22

Budget for the recession now

Photo by: mugley While the economists debate whether we are in a recession or not, ... to impact all of our budgets. Many people are currently buried in debt, from high mortgage payments to owing large balances on multiple credit cards. Let’s face it, credit card companies [more...]

Date: 2008-06-19 10:26:34

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