…How is this supposed to help borrowers? Seriously. This is the government equivalent of a subprime teaser loan. But this is even worse. First, teaser borrowers paid at least a smidge of interest (even 2% is more than zero), which placed a teeny constraint on their ability to take on debt. Second, housing was at least appearing to increase, so it wasn’t entirely nuts (merely sorta nuts) to look to the principal value of the house as security and reason to extend yourself financially….
…This measure, as modest as it is, therefore looks like yet another backdoor transfer to banks, and a way to try to prop up housing prices (note the “stabilize housing markets” comment) and secondarily, funnel some cash to communities (note the loans are intended to be used for property tax payments too)….
Update: Ahh HousingWire says they are taking responses to their poll via the Register first. Team Obama’s answer for everything is a meeting, a poll, a panel, typical faculty lounge stuff, lol
The administration said it will first seek public response via the Federal Register listed at regulations.gov. The administration will then hold a series of public forums on housing finance reform.
Update: HousingWire has the details on the ‘poll’ Team Obama plans to take, what a disgrace! Should have and still should just do HOLC, but then Credit Suisse and UBS might take a loss, Gawd Forbid, but it is fine if taxpayers shoulder it, I call shenanigans….
The Obama Administration today puts the public behind the mic on the reform of the US housing finance system, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A list of questions published today targets the opinions of mortgage market participants, industry groups, academic experts and consumer and community organizations, according to an e-mailed statement from the US Treasury Department.
Here is the Treasury Press Release:, they do not list where to send your input, lol, but here is their contact info:
Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
General Information: (202) 622-2000
Fax: (202) 622-6415
7:23: Shaun Donovan (HUD Sectry) says he does NOT believe the stress on housing affordability fueled the crisis and that it was vagueness in the programs that was a problem. Oh boy.
Ed Royce R-CA is disputing this and citing Geithner’s previous testimony that the GSEs used the affordability mandates to buy bad loans…well yeah!
Okay we’re 20 mins in and it’s a smack down, you must watch this hearing!
now Mel Watt D-NC is talking up low income rental housing and the GSE roles in that. This is one of Barney Frank’s pet plans. I have long said they will take these foreclosed homes and convert them to Section 8 after families lose them. Unreal.
ZOMG!! BUY A FRAKKIN CLUE TEAM OBAMA!!!! Lordy, Lordy..I thought these guys were SOOPER GENIUSES who had a plan before he even took office!
Now we have an uncapped FAN FRED FHA debt growing exponentially and they want to take a frakkin poll? Are you frakkin kidding me?!
The hearing with the House Financial Services Cmte has begun and Spencer Baucus R has nailed the issue-
Ranking Member Spencer Bachus gives opening remarks at a Financial Services hearing on the future of housing finance, where the Obama Administration failed to provide a plan for reforming Fannie and Freddie.
If that hearing doesn’t terrify you, see Ben Bernanke live here before the Joint Economic Cmte suddenly acknowledging we have a serious fiscal crisis and need immediate action, funny he didn’t say that before they rammed down the Obamacare bill huh? frakker.
Moderate in the Middle 