by Cora Currier ProPublica The Obama administration has recently unveiled a string of proposals to help struggling homeowners and get the housing market back on its feet2014 part of the administration’s “We Can’t Wait” election year to-do list. Of course, the White House has made big promises before about helping homeowners, only to see them …
by Jesse Eisinger ProPublica Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., had sharp words for Freddie Mac’s investment practices and conflicts of interest at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday. The senator’s concerns came in the wake of a ProPublica and NPR report that Freddie, the giant taxpayer-owned mortgage company, had made concentrated investments in complex mortgage securities …
by Cora Currier ProPublica The Obama administration is billing today’s $25 billion agreement between most states and five banks that engaged in flawed or deceptive practices as a big win for struggling homeowners. Most of the money in the settlement isn’t a penalty, or a fine levied on the banks. Instead, the biggest slice of …
by Cora Currier ProPublica, Last week, ProPublica and NPR raised questions about a risky investment strategy at Freddie Mac that would pay off if homeowners stayed trapped in expensive mortgages. It’s just the latest example of how government-owned Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have frustrated many by not putting homeowners first. Fannie and Freddie are …
by Cora Currier ProPublica Earlier this week, ProPublica and NPR detailed how Freddie Mac placed bets against homeowners that paid off if borrowers were unable to refinance their mortgage loans. The story highlighted the conflicted role of the behemoth and now government-controlled Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae: They are at once supposed to maximize their …
“Dear Andy, We refinanced our mortgage with the assurance we could refinance our home in two years. The company had our appraisal fixed to overstate the value of our house. The mortgage was sold to another comapny and when we went to refinance we were too far upside down for them to pursue helping us. …