Tag archives for neil barofsky

Obama Will Veto Bills Terminating “Foreclosure Prevention”

Lest there be any confusion, the Obama administration firmly stated yesterday that “President Barack Obama would veto a Republican-backed bill killing his signature mortgage foreclosure prevention program”. In a statement from the administration, it was stated that the Obama administration “strongly opposes” House action to eliminate HAMP” and that the president’s “senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill”. While Read full article »

HUD Speaks Out in Defense of HAMP, Foreclosure Prevention

Over the past few weeks Republicans in Congress have led efforts to eliminate four foreclosure alternative and prevention plans, saying that they are doing more harm than good. Many experts agree with them, since programs like HAMP have dramatically underperformed while still effectively using millions or even billions of taxpayer money. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, however, believes Read full article »

HAMP, Other Federal Anti-Foreclosure Programs in the Crosshairs in New Republican Budget

Given that special inspector general Neil Barofsky is currently busy blaming HAMP in large part for his decision to step down from his post, you might not think that anyone would really miss the struggling federal loan modification program if House Republicans get their way and axe it as part of their new budget. At least, that is what Ohio’s Read full article »

Obama Administration Pushes for Forced Loan Principal Reductions

If the current administration gets its way, some of the country’s largest banks could be forced to pay for billions of dollars in principal reductions on loans. The administration is citing “breakdowns in mortgage servicing” as the cause for the settlement, and some state attorneys general are also asking for civil fines and modifications for troubled borrowers. The administration believes Read full article »

TARP Inspector General Steps Down, Cites HAMP

Refusing to participate in a program that he says has put “many of the people it’s supposed to be helping…in a far worse place than they would have been had this program not existed,” Neil  Barofsky, special inspector general for TARP, has announced that he will be stepping down in March of this year. He believes that TARP has been Read full article »

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.

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.