Items of Interest:
Wall Street Journal:
Editorial: The Biggest Housing Losers -- You may not know it, dear reader, but Congress is playing you for a sap. During the housing mania, you didn't lend money at teaser rates to borrowers who couldn't pay, or buy a bigger house than you could afford. You paid your bills on time. As a reward for that good judgment and restraint, Barney Frank is now going to let you bail out the least responsible bankers and borrowers...
Democrats Face Rescue Backlash -- Democrats are risking a backlash over efforts by Congress to rescue homeowners who can't afford their mortgages. The White House and most Republicans say this amounts to using taxpayer money to reward bad behavior...
A Couple's Descent Into Foreclosure -- Tracing one Vallejo, Calif., couple's descent into foreclosure and bankruptcy...
Bonds Tied to Mortgages Have Hope -- Maybe there's a way to thrive in the howling wasteland that is the home-loan market. Bonds backed by mortgages look like a buying opportunity, assuming a new spate of defaults doesn't send their prices tumbling again...
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MSNBC:No-money-down mortgages are still happening -- You probably thought nothing-down mortgage loans disappeared in the wake of the American subprime lending crisis, which ensnarled much of the world in a credit crunch...
Mortgage companies may be turning the corner -- Broad damage in the mortgage industry was in full view Monday as a number of companies posted dismal first-quarter earnings, but there were also some hope that the worst of the housing crisis is over...
Nine houses lost, investor reflects on ‘stumbles’ -- A California man who has defaulted on nine homes and expects banks to foreclose on all of them, forcing him into bankruptcy, says he now considers it a mistake to have invested in the real estate market...
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- Will Sell Wedding Ring To Avoid Foreclosure - Housing Doom blog
- Housing Bust: The Hamptons to Atlanta
- The Man Who Saved (or Got Suckered by) Wall St. - Gary Weiss, Portfolio
- Credit-Default Swaps: Weapons of Mass Speculation - J. Laing, Barron's
- Why All Roads Lead To Inflation - Bill Fleckenstein, MSN Money
- Dueling Views on Housing: Buffett's Expert Sees Rebound Underway, Jim Rogers Sees More Pain - Seeking Alpha
- Maybe Beer Will Help Stimulate House Sales - Seeking Alpah