It’s The Mortgages, Stupid! Negative Equity Flu Spreads; Whole Town Falls Ill
November 12th, 2008 by Charles Feldman | 2 Comments | Filed in Commentary, Foreclosures, HousingDuring the Clinton years, it was, “it’s the economy, stupid!” Now, without doubt, “it’s the mortgages, stupid!” Without a major fix, the global economic meltdown, most experts say, will only grow worse.
And, if you think that is not possible, just check out the value of GM shares! They’re so weak, you can almost trade in your current GM vehicle for the entire company!
Individual banks have been lining up to announce they have come up with plans to help people who are on the verge of foreclosure. These plans don’t go far enough or help enough people.
The Government announced yesterday, a “plan to ease mortgage payments for troubled borrowers through finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,” according to Reuters.
But even this is probably not enough.
A New York Times report paints a stark and scary picture of the housing situation in the nation at the moment. The article quotes a real estate data company’s findings that 7.6 million homes in the U.S. are “underwater” (the new term for negative equity)–and more than 2 million more are about to fall off a cliff.
And, one poor California town, Mountain House, has the dubious distinction of having about 90 percent of all its homeowners owing more on their mortgages than the actual worth of their houses!
Clearly, the government must do more…a lot more…to stop these homeowners from, understandably, walking away from their devaluing homes.
The solution will by its very nature be unfair to those who borrowed wisely and are continuing to pay their mortgages. But, when a town has 90 percent of its home owners in negative equity–with more towns to surely follow–fairness becomes less important than being practical.
Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, you have to almost feel sorry for the guy, taking office with the expectation that he will save the U.S.—the world—from further economic ruin.
A new AP poll just out shows 7 in 10 people–an amazing 72 percent– “voice confidence the president-elect will make the changes needed to revive the stalling economy.” 44 percent of Republicans reportedly feel the same way!
But “Superman” doesn’t fly into Washington to save the nation till January 20th and many bad things can happen till then.
That is why Bushman, if he has any sense of legacy, will use the same awesome executive powers he used to subvert the Constitution to help jolt the economy.
A lame-duck Congress was a possibility…but leaders there don’t feel much like calling one if Bushman is going to stand in the way.
As the saying goes—-lead, or get out of the way! That’s a hint, George.
Photo Credit: DifferentObamas
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Tags: fannie, foreclosure, foreclosure rescue, freddie, housing rescue, mortgage, paulson

Of course Congress had to wait till October to pass the $700 billion socialization of the American economy: October is, after all, the month best known for the Bolshevik revolution that brought Vladimir Lenin and gang to power in Russia.
In a move that should surprise no one, the FBI, says
This is an election year. That may seem like a tremendous grasp of the obvious but I wish to ask you to look behind that statement so you can see what is happening right in front of your eyes.
This is an unfortunate circumstance for many young families who may not be able to qualify for a mortgage to purchase their new home because of tighter bank underwriting guidelines.

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Charles Feldman

Ted Karsch.




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