Aug 20 2009
Home Equity Loans: $674 Billion in Total Loans. When The Household ATM Goes Out of Order. First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Even Fifth Mortgages.
Home equity was once seen as a cushion for a rainy day. People built up home equity as a means of paying off their home loan and saw it as a source of security. The days of the mortgage burning parties were all but lost in this housing bubble. The roots of the housing bubble [...]
Jul 5 2009
Underwater Mortgages: HUD Announces Eligibility for up to 125 Percent Loan to Value. Why This is Smoke and Mirrors Financial Theatre.
Only a few days ago HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that mortgages with a 125 percent loan to value would now be eligible for the Home Affordable Refinance Program. I received a few e-mails from readers dismayed about this announcement since it would be troubling for the government to simply buy mortgages that are severely [...]
