Category Archives: legislation

Senate to Consider Bill That Threatens to Obliterate Mortgage Bondholders’ Contract Rights

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Isaac Gradman

On March 5, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1106, also known as the “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009,” which threatens to override the contract rights of bondholders who invested in mortgage-backed securities (MBS). A … Continue reading →

Posted in allocation of loss, bankruptcy, bankruptcy cramdown, Countrywide, Greenwich Financial Services, Helping Families Save Homes, legislation, litigation, loan modifications, Servicer Safe Harbor | 1 Comment

Citigroup Becomes First Lender to Cave to Mortgage Principal Reductions by Bankruptcy Judges

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Isaac Gradman

It’s official: the first domino has fallen. The L.A. Times has reported that Citigroup Inc. has agreed that bankruptcy courts should be allowed to change the terms of mortgages, including ordering reductions in the principal amount of loans, as part … Continue reading →

Posted in bailout, bankruptcy, Barack Obama, cheap money, Citigroup, class actions, contract rights, homeowner relief, legislation, loan modifications, recession, Seventh Circuit, TARP, TILA, workouts | 2 Comments

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