All that is old is new again! Fannie Mae reported a net loss of $6.5 billion for the first quarter 2011, as a weakening housing market dashed hopes that the company had stabilized. Fannie said  would ask the government for a fresh taxpayer infusion of $6.2 billion after paying dividends to the Treasury. The loss […]

By most accounts, and as outlined and analyzed extensively in a Knowledge@Wharton article, What the Demise of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Mean for the Future of Homeownership –  the federally sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not cause the housing and mortgage crisis. But they were a big part of the problem, prompting […]

We have been searching for even a sintilla of good news, when it comes to the real estate market.  
With regard to commercial real estate, one noted real estate attorney has coined the banks recent leding philosophy as “extend and pretend.” Clearly there exists the “fear of catching a falling knife.”
So the question is, are things really getting any better? […]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance for homeowners with 125% loan to value ratio. YOU READ IT RIGHT …. 
Deja vu all over again!! Read all the details at the Wall Street Journal.

The move lifts current 105% limit to aid more borrowers struggling to make payments.
GSEs to offer new 25 year mortgage for some refinances to accelerate […]

Today the U.S. Treasury announced what they call the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, intended to stave off the mortgage and residential real estate crisis. Below is a quick and dirty outline of the plan. For a summary, review the Treasury’s Fact Sheet. For the Full Plan, check out all the details right from the […]

Finally some intelligent movement when it comes to investment policy. Read the Fannie Mae official announcement .

This excerpt comes from the lead paragraph: “Fannie Mae is committed to providing financing opportunities for high-credit quality, bona fide investors. Experienced investors play a key role in the housing recovery.”

To that end, Fannie Mae will now finance […]

Less than two weeks ago we posted a mind-boggling article to this Blog that outlined some $4.28 Trillion Dollars that the government was estimated to fork over, to overt a complete financial meltdown.
Incredibly today, Bloomberg News has updated and calculated that new rescue number to be a wopping  $7.4 Trillion Dollars!!!
So here is the multi-trillion dollar question: What will our […]

Here is a great piece, from the Christian Science Monitor and staff writer Mark Trumbull, which puts the take over of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into perspective.

As Secretary of Treasury Paulson correctly concludes, the housing correction poses the biggest risk to our economy. Clearly the government has had enough and opted to take […]

SeekingAlpha just posted a very intriguing opinion piece by John Preston entitled, The Reality of Real Estate and the Economy.

Is this the problem? the solution?

According to many, the thesis (and problem) is simple: Housing health and the economy are linked arm-in-arm.  

Preston traces  this theory back to Robert Shiller, of Case-Shiller Home Price Index fame, who reflects back on a 2004 […]

Effective June 1, 2008 Maryland Senate Bill 363 went into effect, basically eliminating all lenders from closing any Alt Doc loans (NINA, NO RATIO, STATED Loans) where income has not been documented to show the borrowers can afford the monthly payments.
Maryland is the fourth State (West Virginia, Minnesota, and Ohio) to pass this type of […]