Category Archives: banks

Investors Cry Foul at BofA Settlement of Countrywide Suits. Why the Resistance?

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Isaac Gradman

Not everyone is pleased with Bank of America’s record-setting $8.68 billion settlement of lawsuits against Countrywide by attorneys general across the country (see previous post here). Under the agreement, BofA, which acquired Countrywide in July of this year, agreed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alt-A, Attorneys General, Aurora Loan Servicing, banks, BofA, Countrywide, investors, lawsuits, Lehman Brothers, lenders, repurchase, underwriting practices | 1 Comment

Focus of New Regulation Should Be On Securitization

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Isaac Gradman

The election of Barack Obama as the presumptive 44th President of the United States promises to usher in an era of increased regulation of the financial markets pursuant to Obama’s platform of economic reform. So far, many commentaries on the … Continue reading →

Posted in accounting, Alt-A, banks, Barack Obama, broader credit crisis, causes of the crisis, lenders, mortgage market, regulation, securities, securitization, subprime | Leave a comment

Clinton Breaks Down the Credit Crisis

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Isaac Gradman

I happened to catch Bill Clinton on the Late Show with David Letterman earlier this month and was surprised at how much substance was contained in the interview. I encourage you to read the full text of Clinton’s explanation of … Continue reading →

Posted in banks, Bill Clinton, causes of the crisis, cheap money, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, incentives, interest rates, legislation, lenders, liquidity, overinvestment, subprime | Leave a comment

Wikipedia Subprime Timeline a Comprehensive (and Opinionated) Resource

Posted on October 15, 2008 by Isaac Gradman

I just discovered the Wikipedia Subprime Crisis Impact Timeline that provides a great resource to those trying to understand what this crisis is and how we got here. The timeline spans 40 years from 1968 to the present, including the … Continue reading →

Posted in bailout, banks, Ben Bernanke, causes of the crisis, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, Hank Paulson, legislation, regulation, securitization, subprime, takeover, timeline, Treasury, Wikipedia | Leave a comment

BofA Settles Countrywide Suits with State Attorneys General for $8.68 billion. Deal Said to Provide Homeowners with More Relief than Federal Bailout

Posted on October 14, 2008 by Isaac Gradman

On October 6, California Attorney General Jerry Brown (pictured at left) announced that Bank of America, parent of Countrywide Financial Corp., had agreed to pay $8.68 billion to modify the home loans of over 400,000 homeowners in a negotiated settlement … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, bailout, banks, BofA, borrower fraud, Countrywide, Government bailout, homeowner relief, Jerry Brown, lawsuits, legislation, liquidity, predatory lending, stability | 4 Comments