Thursday, September 11, 2008

Fannie and Freddie: A Lot Has Changed in 6 Months

Six months ago, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were supposed to be the saviors of the housing market. Congress even placed them at greater financial risk by raising the conforming loan limit, so they could help rescue the California housing market. These housing market superheroes don't look so super anymore.

From The New York Times:
The seizure of Fannie and Freddie is all the more surprising because, as recently as late March, Washington viewed the companies as saviors of the housing market and the economy, rather than as risks to them. Instead of requiring Fannie and Freddie to scale back, regulators gave them a green light to buy and guarantee more and bigger mortgages.

On March 19, James B. Lockhart, their chief regulator, dismissed swirling rumors about their financial health. “The actions we’re taking today,” Mr. Lockhart declared, referring to a decision to ease restrictions on how much capital they were required to hold, “make the idea of a bailout nonsense in my mind. The companies are safe and sound, and they will continue to be safe and sound.”
Bubble Meter knew better, but we don't even get paid for this. Why are the professionals so clueless?
Posted by at 8:41 AM

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2008 10:16 AM

    they knew but they're too old to retool & retrain. it's much easier to deceive and keep the ponzi scheme rolling along... until it collapses under its own weight, which it has.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2008 2:25 PM

    Yes, and in July 2008, the U.S. government passed a huge housing bill, pushed through by GSE balance sheet concerns, which raised the conforming limit again to $US 625,000. That was just two months ago, when Paulson reiterated that the new authorization for Treasury lending or purchasing of equity in the GSEs was all-but a pipe dream - for emergencies only! I guess that emergency came and went.

    By the way, I like your blog and have added you to my blog roll. If you like my material, will you also add me?

    Thanks, Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  3. JamesSeptember 11, 2008 6:50 PM

    Rebecca, your blog is good too. David, have you checked out Rebecca's blog?

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2008 8:41 PM

    Rebecca is looking at the news from "a conservative point of view". Hasn't conservatism been discredited enough over the last 8 years......

    I'd say don't worry about linking to her but that is just one gal's opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2008 12:32 AM

    last 8 years were anything but conservative

    ReplyDelete
  6. JamesSeptember 12, 2008 3:33 PM

    Anonymous said...
    "last 8 years were anything but conservative"

    Then why does the Republican base cheer so wildly when people like Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin express contempt for the Bill of Rights? Why are true patriots like Ron Paul shunned by the Republican base?

    I miss the old days when conservatism wasn't so "compassionate."

    ReplyDelete

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