subprime crisis

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Bank of America Posts 77% Dive on $6B in Writedowns
Bank of America Posts 77% Dive on $6B in Writedowns
Earnings Report
Apr 21, 2008 8:00 AM CDT

Bank of America Posts 77% Dive on $6B in Writedowns

Writedowns pack bigger punch than analysts expected

(Newser) - More than $6 billion in subprime writedowns sent Bank of America profits skidding for the third straight quarter today, as the nation's second-largest bank posted a 77% decline in net income for the first quarter. Earnings were $1.21 billion, down from $5.26 billion a year ago, reports Bloomberg....

National City Close to $6B Cash Infusion

US's 10th-largest bank has been decimated by the mortgage crisis

(Newser) - Battered National City—which has seen shares plummet 78% as it's been overwhelmed by the subprime fiasco—is close to a $6 billion bailout funded by some of its largest shareholders and private equity firm Corsair Capital, reports the Wall Street Journal. The infusion for the Cleveland-based bank would be...

Maybe You Shouldn't Own a Home
Maybe You Shouldn't
Own a Home
OPINION
Apr 20, 2008 3:08 PM CDT

Maybe You Shouldn't Own a Home

Wake up, America: Not everyone can afford the white picket fence

(Newser) - Should all Americans own their dream home? Not really, writes Joshua Riner in the New Republic—only those who can afford one. But Washington made homebuying easy, sparked the subprime crisis, and is now making things worse by buying up risky mortgages. Officials "need to replace the dream of...

Bush Tabs 'Problem Solver' to Head HUD

New secretary must face the housing market's troubles

(Newser) - With the housing market in turmoil, President Bush is turning to an investment banker-turned-bureaucrat to head HUD, the Washington Post reports. Steven Preston, 47, has run the Small Business Administration since 2006 after a stint at Lehman Brothers; he succeeds Alphonso Jackson, who announced his resignation 2 weeks ago amid...

Merrill Lynch Posts Steep Q1 Loss
Merrill Lynch
Posts Steep
Q1 Loss
Apr 17, 2008 7:25 AM CDT

Merrill Lynch Posts Steep Q1 Loss

$9B in writedowns guts brokerage's earnings

(Newser) - Merrill Lynch today posted nearly $2 billion in losses in the first quarter, after taking another $9 billion in writeoffs, the Wall Street Journal reports. In its third straight quarterly loss, Merrill was in the red $1.96 billion, or $2.19 a share, compared to earning $2.16 billion,...

Shareholder Revolt Strips WaMu Execs of Fat Pay

One resigns; chairman asked to step down

(Newser) - Washington Mutual shareholders got some of the blood they were out for yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reports, as the company backtracked on a pay scheme that would have shielded company executives from the subprime fallout. Board finance-committee head Mary Pugh also resigned, appeasing investors who blamed her for failing...

Merrill Braces for $6B-$8B in New Writedowns

Subprime woes mean unprecedented third consecutive losing quarter for brokerage

(Newser) - Merrill Lynch is likely to report another $6 billion to $8 billion in writedowns related to the subprime collapse tomorrow, leading to a third consecutive quarterly loss, the Wall Street Journal reports. Merrill’s chronic mortgage losses—$30 billion and counting—show just how deep the world's largest brokerage is...

Housing Bill Loaded with Corporate Tax Breaks

But little to prevent foreclosures

(Newser) - The bill was rushed through the Senate to come to the aid of homeowners facing foreclosure, but it turns out that some of its biggest beneficiaries are automakers, airlines and energy producers. The Senate’s housing bill is packed with billions in corporate tax cuts, the New York Times reports....

Housing Starts Hit 17-Year Low

March starts plummet 11.9% as foreclosures create glut on market

(Newser) - Foreclosures and a glut of unsold homes flooding the market were blamed for an 11.9% drop in new housing starts last month, more than twice the slide economists had predicted, reports Bloomberg. Starts are at the lowest level since March 1991, according to the Commerce Department, casting a pall...

JPMorgan Q1 Profits Plunge 50% on $5.1B Writedowns
JPMorgan Q1 Profits Plunge 50% on $5.1B Writedowns
Earnings Report
Apr 16, 2008 7:18 AM CDT

JPMorgan Q1 Profits Plunge 50% on $5.1B Writedowns

Blames credit markets, slowing economy

(Newser) - JPMorgan Chase, battling $5.1 billion in subprime writeoffs and deteriorating consumer credit, reported first quarter profits fell 50%, reports the Wall Street Journal. CEO Jamie Dimon warned the outlook for the remainder of 2008 was likely as grim. Morgan—the 3rd-largest US bank—said profits dropped to $2.37...

Manufacturing's Unemployed Find Work at the Hospital

The healthcare sector's growth could help mitigate US slowdown

(Newser) - American communities once reliant on the manufacturing industry are increasingly being supported by the growing healthcare sector, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over the past 10 years, the former paper-mill town of Bangor, Maine, lost 3,700 factory jobs—but gained 3,500 healthcare jobs, a hopeful sign for an...

March Foreclosures Up 57% Over Last Year; Worst Coming

February gains evaporate

(Newser) - Bank repossessions skyrocketed 129% over the 12-month period ending in March, and foreclosure filings rose 57% over the previous year, RealtyTrac announced today. March foreclosure notices rose 5%, after a 4% decline in February. All this “is ongoing fallout from people overextending themselves and using highly toxic loan products,...

Surprise Loss, $7B Cash Infusion for Wachovia

Fourth-largest bank was prime player in mortgage mess

(Newser) - Wachovia reported a surprise first-quarter loss today 2 years after taking over a subprime-dealing savings and loan. The CEO of the fourth-largest US bank was “deeply disappointed” that the bank lost $393 million, or 20 cents a share; analysts had anticipated earnings of 40 cents a share, Bloomberg reports....

McCain Swerves, Says Feds Should Guarantee Mortgages

GOP candidate had previously said government can't 'bail out' borrowers

(Newser) - John McCain reversed his laissez-faire policy on the mortgage crisis today, saying government should indeed help subprime mortgage holders get guaranteed 30-year mortgages. “There is nothing more important than keeping alive the American dream to own your home,” the Republican said. McCain was criticized for his earlier stance...

Senate Passes Housing Aid Bill
 Senate Passes Housing Aid Bill 
Apr 10, 2008 3:02 PM CDT

Senate Passes Housing Aid Bill

Wins approval by wide margin, but House, Bush opposition leave fate uncertain

(Newser) - The Senate approved a $15 billion measure to address the housing slump today, including $6 billion in total tax breaks to homebuilding firms and a $7,000 tax credit for buyers of foreclosed homes. Though it passed by an 84-12 margin, opposition from President Bush and the House could yet...

Congress Cashes In on Subprime Lobby

Campaign donations from housing, financial industries skyrocket

(Newser) - The subprime crisis isn’t bad for everyone: congressmen and lobbying firms are doing great, Politico reports. Industries caught in the crunch have drastically scaled up their campaign contributions, and dozens of new lobbying firms have sprung up to cash in. Securities and investment PACs, for example, have already given...

More Fed Help on the Way for Homeowners

More FHA-insured mortgages to be available for strapped consumers

(Newser) - Homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure are about to get a boost from the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA commissioner is expected to announce plans to expand an aid program that will allow borrowers saddled with negative equity to write down part of their mortgages and refinance their homes with cheaper...

House Could Be Dead Giveaway
 House Could Be Dead Giveaway 
Apr 6, 2008 11:20 AM CDT

House Could Be Dead Giveaway

69-year-old seller will make home's buyer beneficiary of $500K insurance policy

(Newser) - If Bob Fanning dies in the next decade, the buyer of his Wisconsin home—listed at $498,900—will get a half-million dollar payday. That’s because the 69-year-old plans to make the new owner the beneficiary of a 10-year life-insurance policy, a carrot he hopes will sweeten the deal...

Plastic Surgeons Feel Subprime Pain

Multi-billion dollar industry sagging noticeably

(Newser) - The subprime crisis has hit Goldy Anthony hard; she can’t even afford her bi-monthly trips to the plastic surgeon anymore. “I would rather have Botox than go out to dinner, but it’s just gotten so bad,” says Anthony, who works in Los Angeles' slumping mortgage business....

Lenders Turning Blind Eye to Overdue Payments

Overwhelmed banks taking much longer to foreclose on homes

(Newser) - With foreclosures skyrocketing, overwhelmed mortgage lenders are turning a blind eye to homeowners who haven’t paid up, letting them live in their houses despite delinquency, Bloomberg reports. The 3.6% of borrowers at least 90 days behind is almost twice the percentage foreclosed upon. Lenders’ delays are skewing foreclosure...

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