AltWeeklies Wire
Toxic Assets
The next time someone tells you that capitalism is efficient, remember the mold houses.
How ACORN Foresaw the Foreclosure Crisis in 2001new
The grassroots group helped Oakland pass a tough anti-predatory lending law that would have halted the housing crisis before it started. Then subprime lenders started making campaign contributions in Sacramento.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
09-30-2009 |
Economy
Upside Down in Pontiac: How Investors Walk Away from Disasternew
Many Pontiac houses sit and continue to decline in value, blight the community, attract nuisances, cost lenders and the city money in maintenance, and pull down the values of nearby properties. Some have resold for a fraction of their taxable values, further driving down home prices around them. Others will sit vacant for years.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
09-15-2009 |
Economy
Time to Get Rich Quick (Again) With NYC Real Estatenew
On the same day that Bernie Madoff pled guilty to the biggest investment fraud in Wall Street history, I was intrigued to find a full-page ad with the blaring headline: "HOW TO GET YOUR SHARE OF TODAY'S TRILLION DOLLAR RECOVERY."
New York Press |
Joseph Huff-Hannon |
04-23-2009 |
Economy
Tags: real estate, recession
On the Hunt for Empty Housesnew
Some real estate speculators see foreclosed houses as golden opportunities, even as many of their colleagues lose everything.
The Inlander |
Daniel Walters |
03-12-2009 |
Economy
Tags: real estate, foreclosures
After the Crash, There's Little Recourse for Those Wronged by WaMunew
The problem for plaintiffs in suits against WaMu is who to go after now. Rob Williamson, an attorney who filed a class-action suit against WaMu over what he claims were hidden and excessive fees, puts it this way: "The defendant no longer exists."
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
12-02-2008 |
Economy
Seattle's Foreclosure Vulturesnew
A crashing housing market is just another profit opportunity for some scavengers.
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
11-17-2008 |
Economy
The American Dream's $700 Billion Price Tagnew
The most important lesson of the country's recent financial turmoil has gone untaught: The United States might be better off financially, economically, and socially if it were more like San Francisco and were a nation of renters.
A Foreclosure Shell Game in Baltimorenew
Seven neighbors, 11 foreclosures, and more than a million dollars' profit in one neighborhood.
Baltimore City Paper |
Edward Ericson Jr. |
10-07-2008 |
Economy
What Was the Role of the Real Estate Appraiser in the Housing Bust?new
Predatory lenders get most of the blame for the housing bust, but real estate appraisers -- many pressured by lenders -- were accomplices.
Style Weekly |
Diane York |
06-11-2008 |
Economy
Why Has Philly Avoided the Worst of the Housing Crisis?new
After months of doom-and-gloom headlines about the U.S. housing crisis, some might assume Philadelphia's been hit just as hard as other American cities -- but Philly realtors disagree. (Of course, they can't afford not to.)
Philadelphia Weekly |
Morgan A. Zalot |
02-19-2008 |
Economy
Real Estate Was a Great Racket ... Until the Lawsuits Started Piling Upnew
While young real estate dealers were enjoying the high life, their investors were headed toward foreclosures.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Jeff Severns Guntzel |
02-14-2008 |
Economy
No Sympathy for Homeowners with Exploding ARMsnew
Why should I feel sorry for someone who didn't think things through and jumped too early at the first loan they could get?
New York Press |
John DeSio |
09-13-2007 |
Economy
