Category Archives: Government bailout

The Government Giveth and It Taketh Away: The Significance of the Game Changing FHFA Lawsuits

It is no stretch to say that Friday, September 2 was the most significant day for mortgage crisis litigation since the onset of the crisis in 2007.  That Friday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae … Continue reading

Posted in acquisitions, Ambac, bailout, banks, Bear Stearns, BofA, bondholder actions, Complaints, contract rights, Countrywide, damages, Deutsche Bank, emc, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHFA, Freddie Mac, freeriders, Goldman Sachs, Government bailout, investors, irresponsible lending, JPMorgan, jury trials, lawsuits, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, litigation costs, loan files, loss causation, loss estimates, LTV, MBS, media coverage, Merrill Lynch, misrespresentation, monoline actions, mortgage fraud, motions to dismiss, negligence and recklessness, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, quinn emanuel, ratings agencies, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, shareholder lawsuits, sole remedy, sophistication, stability, standing, statistical sampling, statutes of limitations, subpoenas, successor liability, too big to fail, Trustees, underwriting practices, Wall St., WaMu | 6 Comments

Treasury Official Speaks Out About Excessive Risk Taking

At long last, someone in Washington is speaking out about the dangerous precedent set by the government bailouts of major banks. As discussed in this article on the financial regulations website FinReg21, Treasury secretary Michael Barr testified before the House … Continue reading

Posted in bailout, executive compensation, Fannie Mae, Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac, Government bailout, incentives, Judiciary Committee, Lehman Brothers, Michael Barr, moral hazard, too big to fail, Treasury | Leave a comment

Obama Proposes Sweeping Reforms For Financial Regulation

Just last weekend, in discussing the current financial crisis with friends, I expressed concerns that in the panic to unfreeze the credit markets and stabilize the economy, our government would continue to simply throw money at the problem, while ignoring … Continue reading

Posted in Barack Obama, Center for Responsible Lending, Federal Reserve, Government bailout, incentives, legislation, lenders, oversight, recession, regulation, TARP, Timothy Geithner, underwriting practices | Leave a comment

Subprime Shakeout Discussed in Volokh Conspiracy Post On Formation of Aggregator Bank

On January 19, 2009, Eric Posner from the Volokh Conspiracy cited to the Subprime Shakeout in his article entitled “Why should the government buy toxic assets?” The post addressed the idea of an “Aggregator Bank” that would acquire the mortgage-backed … Continue reading

Posted in Aggregator Bank, Attorneys General, Countrywide, Government bailout, Greenwich Financial Services, investors, loan modifications, predatory lending, securities, settlements, TARP, Volokh Conspiracy | 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

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