financial crisis

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Mortgage Rates Fall After Fannie, Freddie Bailout

Average 30-year loan rates drop nearly half a point

(Newser) - The federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sent mortgage rates plummeting today, MSNBC reports. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped nearly half a percentage point to 5.88%, dipping below 6% for the first time since January. The average rate for a 15-year loan is down to...

OPEC Cuts Oil Production
 OPEC Cuts Oil Production
Sep 10, 2008 2:23 AM CDT

OPEC Cuts Oil Production

Bid to halt price slide after summer high

(Newser) - The international oil cartel OPEC announced today it's reducing production by more than half a million barrels a day, the Financial Times reports. The decision by the cartel, which controls 40% of world oil production, stunned most analysts. The move comes as oil prices, after spiking to an all-time high...

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson
Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson
Sep 9, 2008 5:45 PM CDT

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson

Ky.'s Bunning appears to have problem with Fannie/Freddie move

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson saved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but now he may have to worry about saving his own job: One Republican senator called his policies socialist and recommended that he and Fed chief Ben Bernanke resign, Bloomberg reports. “They have taken the free market out of...

Federal Budget Deficit More Than Doubles, to $407B

Stimulus package contributed; figure is expected to break record in fiscal '09

(Newser) - The federal deficit will swell to $407 billion in the fiscal year that ends this month, the Washington Post reports, a figure more than twice last year’s total. Congressional budget analysts blamed the surge on weak revenue growth and accelerated spending, including the $168 billion economic stimulus package. They...

Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough
Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough
OPINION
Sep 9, 2008 11:33 AM CDT

Fannie/Freddie Rescue Not Radical Enough

Feds must return GSEs to original purpose of providing liquidity

(Newser) - The Treasury’s rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be “superbly crafted,” Steven Rattner writes in the Washington Post, but it won’t solve the government-sponsored entities’ problems. Continuing as private-sector enterprises is a setup that “simply doesn’t work.” The GSEs had...

Fannie, Freddie CEOs in Line for Millions in Severance

Mudd, Syron each stand to net at least $6M; critics rip 'pay for failure'

(Newser) - The CEOs of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will receive millions in severance pay, pension payouts, and other benefits after the government’s takeover of the mortgage giants, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fannie’s Daniel Mudd stands to take away $7.3 million, and Freddie’s Richard Syron will...

Bailout Likely to Sink Some Small Banks

Those with significant Fannie/Freddie stock face capital crunch

(Newser) - The government’s takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the resulting crash of the value of the companies’ shares, has started a domino effect that likely will push some smaller banks into failure, the Washington Post reports. Some institutions heavily invested in the seemingly safe stocks will find...

Battle Lines Drawn in Freddie, Fannie Fight

Making mortgage giants public, breaking them up or nursing them to health seen as options

(Newser) - What Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae look like in the future—and whether they continue to exist in a recognizable form at all—depends on how Washington looks next year, the New York Times reports. The battle already has begun, with the White House and congressional Democrats blaming each other...

In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'
In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'
ANALYSIS
Sep 9, 2008 6:12 AM CDT

In Times of Crisis, Paulson's the 'Decider'

Fannie-Freddie bailout shows Treasury sec enjoys a free hand

(Newser) - Last week, a small group met in the Oval Office to discuss the impending takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But while President Bush convened the meeting, there was no mistaking who was running the show: Hank Paulson, who had first floated public ownership and who oversaw every aspect...

Bailout Rally Tails Off Late
 Bailout Rally Tails Off Late 
MARKETS
Sep 8, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Bailout Rally Tails Off Late

Persistent worries about the non-financial economy temper gains

(Newser) - US stocks rallied as traders bet the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would help the economy recover, but lost some of those gains—with the Nasdaq even flirting with losses—as the day wore on, MarketWatch reports. Nonetheless, the Dow gained 289.78, closing at 11,510.74....

US Must Strike Fine Balance on Mortgage Bailout
US Must Strike Fine Balance on Mortgage Bailout
Analysis
Sep 8, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

US Must Strike Fine Balance on Mortgage Bailout

Deficit makes coordinated response economically, psychologically crucial

(Newser) - A global storm continues to threaten the world’s economies, and the US government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is just one step, albeit a major one, toward recovery. Whether the latest attempt to right the ship succeeds "ultimately boils down to two big issues," writes...

US Stocks Soar on Fannie/Freddie Takeover
US Stocks Soar on Fannie/Freddie Takeover
MARKETS
Sep 8, 2008 9:40 AM CDT

US Stocks Soar on Fannie/Freddie Takeover

Dow up 300 early as investors bet on broader recovery

(Newser) - Stocks surged this morning as investors rushed to lay bets on a broad economic recovery following the weekend announcement that the US government will bail out mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The major indices jumped, with the Dow Jones industrials gaining more than 300 points. Meanwhile, bond prices...

Dollar Soars to 1-Year High
 Dollar Soars to 1-Year High 
Sep 8, 2008 8:06 AM CDT

Dollar Soars to 1-Year High

Greenback climbs higher still after Fannie-Freddie bailout

(Newser) - The dollar rallied to a 1-year high against the world's currencies today, following Treasury's decision to seize control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. After an early hiccup, the greenback advanced to $1.41 against the euro while also climbing against the yen, the pound, and the Swiss franc. While...

Fannie, Freddie Deal May Ease Rates, Cut Foreclosures

Federal takeover may help refresh housing market as dust settles

(Newser) - How will the government’s seizure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac affect homeowners and buyers? In the short term, the New York Times says, interest rates may fall some, but probably not enough to stop the slide in home prices. Some facing foreclosure could have a better chance at...

Stocks Rally Strong on Fannie, Freddie Takeover

Europe, Japan, US futures see market surge

(Newser) - European and Japanese stocks saw their biggest surge since January and US futures climbed amid news of the Treasury Department’s plan to take charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bloomberg reports. Europe's UBS AG, pounded by subprime losses, and Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group, its biggest bank by...

Feds Outline Fannie, Freddie Bailout

Gov't will step in as conservator; Treasury will buy preferred stock

(Newser) - Citing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as "critical to turning the corner on housing," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson this morning announced a bailout of the beleaguered mortgage companies that includes his agency purchasing preferred stock, while the Federal Housing Finance Agency will step in as conservator. Additionally, Treasury...

Paulson Tacks Toward Middle on Fannie, Freddie Rescue

Conservatorship would toe line between opposing views

(Newser) - As concerns mount for troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two camps have emerged: one, led by free-market analysts, is pushing a temporary government takeover of the companies; the other, led by congressional Democrats, would rather see billions of tax dollars rescue the firms. Treasury secretary Henry Paulson...

Juggled Books at Freddie, Fannie Sparked Fed Takeover

Situation more dire than accounting revealed, probers found

(Newser) - Federal advisers pushed for a government takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae after discovering fuzzy accounting that failed to fully reveal the dire nature of the companies' financial situation, reports the New York Times. The practices, while not illegal, overstated the mortgage giants' capital cushions while attempting to delay...

Fannie, Freddie Deal Will 'Stem the Mess'
Fannie, Freddie Deal Will 'Stem the Mess'
OPINION
Sep 6, 2008 6:42 PM CDT

Fannie, Freddie Deal Will 'Stem the Mess'

'There will be no reason to foreclose' after takeover: Cramer

(Newser) - Jim Cramer predicts that a lot of people will whine about the federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—especially those shorting them—and say it won't help. But they're dead wrong, Cramer writes on TheStreet.com: it's going to turn housing around and bring the rest of the...

Feds Plan to Take Over Freddie, Fannie

(Newser) - The White House told ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac today that Washington will effectively take them over, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Treasury move will leave both companies functioning but replace their executives, inject capital, and likely leave shareholders with little or nothing. The move aims...

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