financial crisis

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Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink
Fannie, Freddie Edge Back
From the Brink
ANALYSIS

Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink

Panic eases after turbulent trading, but big test is yet to come

(Newser) - Fears of a collapse of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac finally eased yesterday after a stomach-churning rollercoaster ride that saw a 50% nosedive for the mortgage giants in early trading, writes the Wall Street Journal. A week of panic, prompted in part by reports that the government was preparing rescue...

Feds Seize Failed IndyMac Bank

Senator's comments led to takeover, regulator says

(Newser) - As mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae crowded the headlines today, Washington snatched up IndyMac Bank in the second-largest US bank failure in history, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Pasadena, Calif. savings and loan, which owns about $32 billion in assets, saw stocks fall from $45 last year...

Stocks Decline as Fannie, Freddie Fall, Oil Leaps

Market nears 11,000 for first time in two years

(Newser) - Stocks tumbled this morning as investors focused on troubles at mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and watched oil prices climb further into record territory. The Dow fell more than 170 points and neared the 11,000 mark for the first time in two years. Investors seemed unimpressed by...

Fannie, Freddie Plunge Gives Short Sellers a Field Day

Very quietly, the sharks are making a killing

(Newser) - With the rest of the world wringing its hands over fears of a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac collapse, one tribe on Wall Street is smiling: the short sellers. Investors have bet against Fannie and Freddie in growing numbers as the two mortgage lenders' positions grew more precarious. But handsome...

As Speculation Swirls, Panic Stalks Freddie, Fannie

As mortgage giants face increased losses, investors uncertain of their futures

(Newser) - What started as a whisper Monday is a roar at week’s end as investors wrestle with the fate of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Wall Street Journal reports. While neither firm, which together own or back roughly half  the nation’s mortgages, faces imminent collapse, awareness...

Lender Woes Keep Lid on Gains
 Lender Woes Keep Lid on Gains 
MARKETS

Lender Woes Keep Lid on Gains

Financials rally as outlook darkens for government lenders

(Newser) - The markets ended with modest gains today, led by a rally in financials despite continued anxiety over the future of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, MarketWatch reports. Treasury chief Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke's call for greater regulatory powers encouraged investors. The Dow gained 81.58 points to 11,229....

Feds Mull Possible Bailout for Freddie and Fannie

The 2 mortgage giants continue to suffer with huge stock slides, losses

(Newser) - With the shares of mortgage titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plummeting to their lowest points in more than 15 years, the Bush administration is weighing what to do in the event of a collapse, reports the Wall Street Journal. No rescue plan is imminent—both companies are expected to...

Fed to Crack Down on Subprime Loans

Also plans to extend low-cost overnight loan program for banks

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve will issue new rules next week restricting subprime lending and other exotic loans aimed at borrowers with weak credit, Ben Bernanke said today. He said the Fed is also considering extending the overnight low-cost loan program, which helps big banks in need of quick cash, a sign...

Baffled Execs Say Rumor Killed Stearns
 Baffled Execs Say
 Rumor Killed
 Stearns 
glossies

Baffled Execs Say Rumor Killed Stearns

They claim hedge funds, Goldman Sachs invented bad news for profit

(Newser) - Bear Stearns' collapse and shotgun marriage to JP Morgan were sparked by little more than a rumor, Vanity Fair reports. True, the investment bank had stumbled—a $1.6 billion bailout of troubled funds hurt its image—but whispers of liquidity problems were false: Bear had $18 billion in cash...

Fed Feared 'Contagion' If Bear Failed

Bernanke and crew felt they had to act, minutes show

(Newser) - If the Fed hadn't taken the unprecedented step of helping bail out Bear Stearns, a sweeping "contagion" would have doomed the markets, its members say. In newly released minutes from its March 16 meeting, the Fed reasons that the “prominent position of Bear Stearns” left it no choice...

Dow Plummets to Below 12,000
 Dow Plummets to Below 12,000 
MARKETS

Dow Plummets to Below 12,000

An oil boost and continued financial woes batter the markets

(Newser) - The markets tumbled today to lows not seen since the Bear Stearns fiasco in March, MarketWatch reports. Oil surged back over $135 a barrel, erasing yesterday’s meager gains, and bad news continued to depress financials. The Dow fell 220.40 to 11,842.69, the Nasdaq 55.87 to...

Email May Toast Arrested Bear Fund Managers

Pair faces charges of misleading investors in $1.6B collapse

(Newser) - A pair of former Bear Stearns hedge-fund managers arrested today on federal fraud charges could be done in by an email in which one described their market position as "toast"—days before telling investors it was "quite comfortable." Matthew Tannin and Ralph Cioffi will be indicted...

Consumer Mood More Downbeat Than Economy
Consumer Mood More Downbeat Than Economy
ANALYSIS

Consumer Mood More Downbeat Than Economy

Pessimism could lead to real recession

(Newser) - The economy, statistically speaking, is sluggish, but hardly Great Depression-like—though American consumers seem to disagree, the Washington Post reports. They're paying more for everything from gasoline to grapefruit, are watching the value of their homes decline and fear their jobs may be disappearing—which, policy-makers worry, could breed behaviors...

Countrywide 'Bailout' Is Dem Chicanery
Countrywide 'Bailout' Is Dem Chicanery
OPINION

Countrywide 'Bailout' Is Dem Chicanery

Left is extending crisis by irresponsibly aiding its pals, Armey says

(Newser) - Congressional Dems are selling their $300 billion bill granting new taxpayer loan guarantees as a boon to homeowners, but Dick Armey sees more cynical motives in the “bailout” legislation. The former House majority leader writes in the Journal, pegging the recent revelations of sweetheart Countrywide loans for top (Dem)...

Feisty Exec Straddles Two Financial Crises
Feisty Exec Straddles Two Financial Crises
GLOSSIES

Feisty Exec Straddles Two Financial Crises

Greenberg's clout evident in AIG ouster, bailout of Lehman

(Newser) - At age 83, Hank Greenberg is on anything but a quiet path to retirement. The legendary exec is smack in the middle of two of the biggest financial stories of the day—the upheaval at insurance giant AIG and the struggle to salvage Lehman Brothers. Portfolio looks at Greenberg's reversal...

Cramer: Never Seen Wall Street This Bad
 Cramer:
 Never Seen
 Wall Street
 This Bad 
ANALYSIS

Cramer: Never Seen Wall Street This Bad

Analyst sees no end in sight for layoffs and write-downs

(Newser) - While he steers clear of the Great Depression, everything else is fair game as reference in James J. Cramer’s apocalyptic appraisal of Wall Street for New York. In Cramer's 25 years, he's seen lots of implosions, but this one is different: With thousands of layoffs at major shops, and...

Embattled AIG CEO Steps Down
 Embattled AIG CEO Steps Down 

Embattled AIG CEO Steps Down

Board replaces Sullivan with Citi exec Willumstad

(Newser) - Martin Sullivan has stepped down as AIG's CEO, and the company's board named chairman Maurice Willumstad his successor, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The insurance giant's stock has plummeted more than 50% since October due to subprime writedowns, and Sullivan is still embroiled in legal battles with his former...

Lehman Axes 2 Top Execs in Effort to Stem Slide

CFO and COO both get pink slips after quarterly loss

(Newser) - Lehman Brothers, struggling to allay mounting worries about the company's balance sheet, today axed its COO and CFO. The move comes days after the bank reported a $2.8 billion quarterly loss. Joseph Gregory and Erin Callan will both remain at Lehman, but will be replaced at the top by...

Lehman Posts $2.8B Loss, Stuns Wall St.

Investors fear that banks, securities firms still in trouble

(Newser) - Lehman Brothers shocked Wall Street today by posting a $2.8 billion quarterly loss, its first in 14 years and far worse than expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other downmarket reports added to investor anxiety, sent stocks falling, and boosted fears that banks and securities firms remain troubled. As...

'Monster' Markets Brought World to Edge: German Prez

Köhler, former head of IMF, rips lust for profit, calls for tightened regulaion

(Newser) - Germany's president, a former head of the International Monetary Fund, blasted the system of financial markets responsible for the global credit crisis as a “monster," Der Speigel reports today. Horst Köhler said the world “came close to a collapse of the global financial markets" as the...

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