Financing Real Estate
by Florence Foote
| November 10, 2009
One of the worst kinds of sub-prime loans was the infamous “pick-a-pay” (Payment Option ARM) under which borrowers had the choice of how much payment to make each month, with the lowest options being negatively amortized, i.e., reducing the equity in a property every month. These loans took the concept of house-as-piggy-bank to [...]
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Real Estate News
by Christina Inman
| October 12, 2009
In an article in the Tuesday, October 6, edition of the San Francisco Chronicle entitled “Layer of credit checks surprises home buyers,” a woman named Kimberly Hayes explains that when she and her husband decided to bid on a bank-owned property, they were shocked to discover that the only way the bank would allow them to do it is if they could do their own credit check beforehand.
“This unnecessary credit pulling can potentially lower my credit score and widens the exposure of my sensitive financial information,” the article quotes her as saying. “I’m concerned about another set of eyes looking at my private information in a time of so much identity theft.”
And, apparently, they are not the first potential buyers to find themselves in this situation. Though not all lenders have this policy when it comes to their REOs, (Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and OneWest Bank are all quoted as saying they do not require their own credit checks of potential bidders) it appears that some of the banks who do also insist that the bidder apply for a mortgage with them.
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Joshua Dorkin
Charles Feldman
Ted Karsch.
Obama’s FHA Commissioner Nominee, David H. Stevens Has Ugly Past
by Rob K. Blake | May 3, 2009The Obama administration is continuing the appointment method of “crown the clowns” used at the Treasury Department to fill the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). This week it was announced the President’s nomination for FHA commissioner, David H. Stevens, would be held up due to a lawsuit alleging violations of anti-kickback RESPA law by his former [...]