Bank of America’s refusal to participate in foreclosure prevention programs even though it accepted $25 billion in TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) money has plaintiffs in St. Louis, Connecticut, claiming that the beleaguered lender broke faith with the U.S. Treasury and let borrowers in foreclosure down. The lawsuit, which was filed today, is similar to suits brought against BofA by Read full article »
Tag archives for Money
Bank of America Faces Class Action Suit Over TARP Money Foreclosure “Agreement”
category: Real Estate News
Doug Fath Reveals Key Lease Clauses For Student Housing
There may be nobody who knows more about how to get individual investors into the student housing business than Doug Fath - but you probably already know that. Recently when I was speaking with him, he shared several ideas with me that were clearly the result of his experience in this business... ...I'd like to share them with you now: Parents Read full article »
category: Real Estate Tips
Buyers Finding that “Cash In” Refinancing and Retiring Old Mortgages can Result in Twice the House for the Same Money
While the media is full of stories on underwater borrowers walking away from their homes, some homeowners are actually seizing the opportunities presented by today’s lousy seller’s market and record-low interest rates to refinance – with money at closing – or even trade up on their existing homes. If you have the wherewithal to “retire” your old mortgage, you can Read full article »
category: Real Estate News
tags: Borrowers, Knowledge, Living Space, Loan Refinance, Low Interest Rates, Lower Monthly Payments, Magic Combination, Money, Mortgage, Mortgage Refinance, Mortgages, Real Estate Brokers, Real Estate Investors, Real Estate Market, Refinance, Refinancing Mortgages, S Market, Space Cases, Trend, Willingness, Wsj
New Tax on Real Estate Investors Helps Pay for Healthcare: Will Your Real Estate Investing be Impacted?
Now that the administration’s healthcare bill has passed, things are kicking into gear. The Republicans are amping up their campaigns on reversal and repeal; the Democrats are working on setting the thing in stone, and homesellers are getting ready to “do their part,” (like it or not) by making a little less money on the sale of their properties. While there Read full article »
category: Editorial
You Pay Your Taxes and the Government Will Pay Your Tenants?
If you own rental properties that are amenable to tenants that are disabled or senior citizens, then make sure they know that in some states your property taxes make it possible for them to receive a property tax credit even though they do not own the home. In Missouri, there is currently an outcry because a number of low-income disabled people Read full article »
category: Real Estate News
The Politics of Real Estate
Few industries are as profoundly impacted by the political machinations in Washington as the real estate industry. Whether it's old legislation like Jimmy Carter's Community Reinvestment Act or Barack Obama's massive mortgage bailouts, the U.S. political machine has a huge impact (usually bad) on the business of real estate.
Ideally, we could ignore politics. But here at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter, we insist on seeing the world with clarity - including the reality of Washington's aggressive involvement in every facet of our business, from mortgage lending to real estate sales license; from loan modification regulations to appraisal requirements... every piece of our business is profoundly impacted by politics. So rather than stick our heads in the sand and ignore reality, readers of the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter choose to be informed and prepared.
Mortgage Industry News
Few things change more rapidly than the mortgage market, and with the increasing dominance of GSE's Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the mortgage business, it's more important than ever to keep up. Here are a few recent mortgage news updates:
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Mortgage News
- HAMP Success Tally Slowly Growing
- Western States Working Through Foreclosure Backlog Quicker than Eastern
- Biggest Down Payments in the Country Found in New Jersey
- President Bypasses Congress, Appoints Director of the Consumer Protection Bureau
- Federal Reserve Recommends Expanding GSEs to Turn Housing Market Around
- Mortgage Rates Likely to Remain Low for a While Longer
- Top Former FDIC, Wells Fargo Execs Say Fannie and Freddie Must Go
- FHA Continues to Extend Anti-Flipping Waiver
- More Homeowners Using Delaying Tactics to Slow Down Foreclosures
- Now that It’s Passed: The True Cost of the Payroll Tax Cut
About Bryan Ellis
Bryan Ellis is an Atlanta-based real estate analyst and publisher of the widely read newsletter "The Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter". With over 200,000 subscribers - including real estate investors, agents, brokers, appraisers and other real estate professionals - the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter is among America's largest sources of unbiased coverage of politics and public policy for the real estate industry.
Bryan Ellis serves as editor in chief for the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter and is assisted by an extraordinary staff of writers, researchers and editors who are each real estate experts in their own right and who assure that the news we report is well researched, factual, and highly relevant to today's real estate industry.
Bryan is very happily married and has two wonderful daughters. He makes his home in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. You can contact the team at the Bryan Ellis Real Estate Letter here.