Bank fraud goes international once again in a new lawsuit filed by mortgage megalender Fannie Mae. Joining the long line of lawsuits filed against the nation’s major banks by the US Department of Justice and various state attorneys general, the new action by Fannie...
Are Community Nuisance Ordinances Constitutional?
Laws against public crime and misbehavior have been around for years. Virtually every community has ordinances – and consequences – for public drunkenness, loitering, vagrancy and the like. But a new kind of law aimed at crushing neighborhood crime allows law...
Can Online Auctions Boost the Recovery?
“Going, going, gone!” And the gavel slams down. If that’s your image of an auction sale, think again. Although “real world” auctions are still around, letting people bid on everything from livestock to acreage, auction sales have gone online in a big way. And because...
Will Rising Interest Rates Slow the Economy?
To offset the risk of an economic slowdown after the government’s 16-day hiatus, the Federal Reserve has opted to stay the course on its much publicized stimulus program. But although one goal of the multibillion-dollar securities buyup was to keep interest rates low,...
The Dollar Falls, the Stimulus Stays the Course
The government showdown –er, shutdown – has ended and the debt ceiling has risen, but the economic fallout has experts worried about the future. The 16-day hiatus didn’t affect just government programs and services – it rippled all through the economy. As the dollar...
Mortgage Lending Concerns Spawn New Industries
In the wake of repeated lawsuits and the arrival of the sweeping Dodd Frank Act for consumer protection in lending, the mortgage industry is facing more scrutiny of its actions – and more accountability for the risky loans it makes. The perceived vulnerability of...
Can a Government Shutdown Shut Down the Housing Recovery?
It’s official: the government is shutting down for an unspecified period of time as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle struggle to play nice. The situation is sending ripples throughout the economy, as government-sponsored programs of all kinds come to a standstill...
Who Wins With the Qualified Mortgage Rule?
It’s been said that clouds have silver linings, and that sentiment seems to hold true in the current attempts to bring accountability and quality control to the mortgage industry. Although the provisions of the new Qualified Mortgage Rule has drawn the ire of both...
Low Rates and High Standards: Stalemate for Housing?
In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s new announcement that they’ll be keeping their massive securities buyup on track for now, things look rosier for global trading – and for consumer markets at home. But even as the Fed’s decision is being welcomed for its intended...
5 Ways to Prevent Landlord-Tenant Conflicts
Just about everywhere in the country, landlord-tenant lawsuits are clogging – and backlogging – court dockets for issues small and large. The area of housing law boasts specialists in just these kinds of cases. The hot rental market is one of the key factors driving...