5 Signs of Mortgage Lending Fraud

Despite the lawsuits and regulation that followed the housing collapse in 2008, some of the nation’s biggest mortgage lenders – and even some smaller ones – are still using a variety of fraudulent practices to put more money into their corporate pockets. Now,...

Cash and Carry in the Housing Market

Interest rates that continue to run low and rising prices make the housing market pretty hot right now. Banks are offering attractive mortgage packages, too. But, say some market watchers, it’s hotter still for buyers who can pay cash. To compete in the cash wars,...

What Makes a Bubble? The Cycle of Boom and Bust

Take a look at most any financial news today, and you’ll see the word “bubble” bouncing around. There’s the possibility of a student loan bubble, an interest rate bubble driven by the Fed’s bond buyuo, and so on. And of course where there’s a bubble, there’s also a...

Sallie Mae Splits for a Share of Lucrative Private Loans

For some time we’ve been reporting in this space about the emerging crisis in student loan debt and its impact on various sectors of the economy – including housing. And because the student loan situation so closely parallels the events of the 2008 housing collapse,...

Reverse Mortgages Create a New Round of Foreclosures

On paper it sounds good. Take out a “reverse mortgage” that draws on home equity to release cash for daily living and other expenditures. For many, particularly those in retirement and beyond, the plan offers financial relief while leaving the original investment...