Becoming a landlord has always been a well-worn path to millionaire status, with good reason: Not only does owning properties let you generate a second source of income, your tenants' checks will help you build equity in your investment.
updated: Mon May 14 2012 17:47:00
The decisions of former JP Morgan Chief Investment officer Ina Drew that cost the nation's largest bank $2 billion.
JPMorgan Chase can be considered a systemically dangerous institution, which means that it is "too big to fail" because the government fears that its collapse would cause a global financial crisis.
Federal regulators have taken a chainsaw to executive compensation at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Want to become a landlord in one of the nation's hardest-hit foreclosure neighborhoods? Well, Uncle Sam has a deal for you.
A watchdog agency said Wednesday that the legal tab for former leaders of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is at least $110 million.
It's not tough to find critics of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae on either the right or the left. But there has been little progress made in rehabilitating the mortgage giants.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich both accused each other of having financial interests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the Republican debate Thursday night.
Freddie Mac is in the spotlight of the Republican presidential contest, as Mitt Romney attacks Newt Gingrich for his 2006 work for the mortgage finance firm.
The one thing Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich seem to agree on about Freddie Mac is that it played a significant role in the housing bubble -- and the subsequent financial meltdown that followed when it burst.
The next CEOs at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are unlikely to receive the controversial, multi-million dollar pay packages given to their predecessors, the companies' regulator said Tuesday.
It has been more than three years since then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson fired his famous metaphorical bazooka and the federal government seized control of mortgage agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged six former executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with securities fraud on Friday for misrepresenting their holdings of high-risk mortgage loans.
Federal officials hope to launch a pilot program in early 2012 to convert government-owned foreclosures into rental properties.
Daniel Mudd is taking an immediate leave of absence from his role as CEO of investment firm Fortress Investment Group, less than a week after the Securities and Exchange Commission announced fraud charges against him and other former executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Richard M. Kovacevich is the retired Chairman & CEO of Wells Fargo. William M. Isaac is Global Head of Financial Institutions at FTI Consulting and former Chairman of the FDIC. The views expressed are their own.
Happy holidays struggling homeowners! Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and several large mortgage lenders have pledged not to foreclose on delinquent borrowers during the Christmas season.
Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need big pay packages to protect taxpayers from losing more of the billions spent to rescue the mortgage finance companies, according to the head of the agency that sets pay at the beleaguered firms.
Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac received the biggest federal bailout of the financial crisis. And nearly $100 million of those tax dollars went to lucrative pay packages for top executives, filings show.
Lawmakers are trying to block million-dollar bonuses to top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage-backing firms that required a giant taxpayer bailout.
Losses widened at mortgage giant Fannie Mae in the third quarter, forcing the government-controlled firm to request another $7.8 billion from the Treasury Department.
The cost to taxpayers for bailing out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't be quite as bad as previous estimates, according to the federal agency overseeing the two companies.
In the latest attempt to address the ailing housing market, the government on Monday announced changes to a federal program that will make it easier for struggling homeowners to refinance to today's near-record low rates.
Fannie Mae, the government-controlled mortgage giant, ignored indications that attorneys it hired to handle defaults were abusing the foreclosure process, according to a report from the inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the agency that oversees Fannie.
Starting Saturday, the beleaguered housing market will confront the latest hurdle to its recovery: The size of mortgages that the federal government can back will be drastically reduced in high-priced regions.
The federal agency overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac filed lawsuits Friday against 17 financial institutions, in an attempt to recover billions of dollars in losses from risky mortgage investments.
More than a dozen banks are expected to face lawsuits from a federal housing agency accusing them of misrepresenting the value of mortgage-backed securities.
An ominous cloud is hanging over the housing market: Millions of distressed properties could be put up for sale at any moment, potentially adding to the glut of unsold homes that are already on the market and depressing home prices even further.
At least one fear was not realized amid Monday's meltdown: the concern that mortgage rates would immediately shoot higher in response to Standard & Poor's downgrade of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored entities that are the 800-pound gorillas of the mortgage market.
In a move that could shake the housing market, credit rating agency Standard and Poor's on Monday downgraded the debt of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Getting a mortgage just keeps getting tougher, and many homebuyers are getting rejected for loans they could easily afford.
For most Americans, their home is the largest and most important investment they will ever make. Ensuring that they have the right kind of mortgage is critical to their financial well-being and -- as we've seen recently -- critical to our entire economy.
Top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were paid handsomely over the past two years, while the government agency in charge of regulating the bailed-out mortgage backers was ill-equipped to do anything about it, according to a federal review.
When the dust settles, the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be the most expensive government rescue of the financial crisis -- it already stands at $153 billion and counting.
The Obama administration on Friday officially unveiled its plan to remake the mortgage market and reduce the government's role in housing finance by winding down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Imagine depositing your paycheck at the local bank each week only to have the bank lose your money, but never face any consequences.
The Obama administration will issue a proposal later this week recommending the gradual elimination of government-sponsored mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, a White House official said Wednesday.
The Dow closed at a fresh two-year high Monday, getting the new year off to a strong start, after manufacturing and construction data stoked optimism about the economy.
U.S. stocks were poised to kick off the new year with gains Monday, as investors returned from the holidays and awaited a key report on manufacturing. Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were higher ahead of the opening bell. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance. Stocks ended a roller coaster year with a lackluster showing Friday, but all three major indexes logged double-digit percentage gains for the year. The Dow Jones industrial average finished 2010 up 11%, the S&P 500 climbed 13%, and the Nasdaq rose 17%.
The American Dream is still alive and kicking, including within immigrant and minority communities, according to a survey from mortgage giant Fannie Mae.
Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could need as much as $363 billion in government payments by 2013, regulators said Thursday.
Replique D'Amelio plays with her two children on their spacious lawn well aware the threat of foreclosure hangs like a cloud above the Wappingers Falls, New York home.
No sooner did news break that Larry Summers would step down as director of the National Economic Council than speculation began on his successor. White House aides hinted they wanted a prominent corporate executive. Anne Mulcahy, who led a painful turnaround at Xerox, was soon being named as the top candidate to fill Summers' shoes.
Unemployed homeowners cannot count jobless benefits as income when applying for mortgage modifications if they have loans backed by Fannie Mae. That could greatly limit their ability to get a long-term reduction in their monthly payments.
Fannie Mae says that its financial condition has vastly improved over previous quarters, but the mortgage finance company still requested more government assistance.
Troubled mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said goodbye to the New York Stock Exchange at the end of trade Wednesday.
In a housing market still struggling to regain strength, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have quickly become two of the nation's biggest landlords. By the end of March, the troubled mortgage finance companies had taken over 163,828 foreclosed houses. That's more homes than there are in Seattle.
Mortgage borrowers hurt by the Gulf oil spill may qualify for temporary relief from paying their mortgages, without fear of losing their homes.
Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were ordered by their federal regulator to no longer trade their shares on the New York Stock Exchange, the agency announced Wednesday. Both stocks plummeted on the news.
Pressure is mounting on loan servicers and investors to reduce troubled homeowners' loan balances...but the two largest owners of mortgages aren't getting the message.
A message to all of you angry taxpayers this election season with your cross-hairs trained on the likes of Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase: Did you notice that Fannie Mae just trundled up to the government bailout window for another $8.4 billion, days after Freddie Mac pulled down another $10.6 billion in taxpayer funds?
Freddie Mac on Wednesday requested another $10.6 billion handout from the federal government.
Fannie Mae requested another $8.4 billion from the federal government on Monday, saying that it expects its losses to continue because of trends in the housing and financial markets.
Fannie Mae, the government-backed mortgage giant, announced Friday that it would tighten lending requirements for the interest-only loans and adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) it backs.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously proclaimed that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Looking at how the stock market has been behaving recently though, I think it's now fair to say that the only thing we have to fear is no fear itself.
Investors had a funny way of commemorating the first anniversary of the market's bottom on Tuesday. They rewarded some of the stocks responsible for most of the problems in the first place.
Putting Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's houses in order will have to wait.
America's total debt load is on pace to top $13 trillion this year, and $22 trillion by 2020 -- and that's just the debt we're counting.
Battered by the housing crisis, mortgage finance company Fannie Mae said Friday that it needs another $15.3 billion in bailout money from the federal government.
Shares of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soared Monday after the Treasury Department announced what essentially amounts to a blank check for their bailouts.
Top executives at mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both of which have been under government control since last year, received millions of dollars in pay in 2009, according to documents filed by the companies Thursday.
For top executives, 'tis the season to get paid in company stock - unless you happen to work at Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
Giving troubled borrowers yet another way to avoid foreclosure, Fannie Mae said on Thursday it would allow eligible homeowners to rent their own homes.
With apologies to the Beatles, the list of the best-performing Fortune 500 stocks in the year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers reads like a stroll down Penny Lane.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shouldn't be allowed to languish in Uncle Sam's arms. But as the anniversary of their seizure by the government approaches, the $5.4 trillion mortgage giants remain the biggest black holes in the financial firmament.
They say you can't trust the government. Don't tell that to Wall Street traders.
Shares of bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soared Monday, as investors try to piggyback on a rally in shares of government-backed financial companies.
The potential collapse of Colonial BancGroup poses another hazard to the still-shaky housing market: Mortgages could become even harder to get.
Fannie Mae, the government-controlled mortgage insurer, said Thursday that it needs another $10.7 billion from the Treasury Department to stay afloat.
Lawmakers are quickly learning that "too big to fail" may be too complex to legislate away.
The first big government bailout of the financial crisis -- the takeover of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- is poised to be the most expensive and complicated to complete.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, charged with helping lead the nation out of its housing crisis, are facing "critical" financial problems, federal regulators said Monday.
Fannie Mae, the troubled mortgage finance company, reported a first-quarter loss of $23.2 billion on Friday.
While the jury's out on President Obama's decision to sub Fritz Henderson for Rick Wagoner as CEO of GM, the shift doesn't matter because the bailout is suspect. The reason? Of all the models the federal government could have picked for restructuring the automaker, it picked Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae planned to pay four top executives retention bonuses ranging from $470,000 to $611,000, according to a February SEC filing.
Hammered by the ailing housing market, mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae said Thursday it would tap its lifeline from the Treasury Department after reporting $58.7 billion in losses for 2008.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't be leaving the federal government's nest anytime soon.
The White House is using only $50 billion from the $700 billion financial industry bailout package to fund the foreclosure prevention program, a senior administration official clarified Friday.
As required by the federal bailout law, the Federal Reserve will look to prevent foreclosures by modifying the terms on certain delinquent loans, lawmakers said Tuesday.
The federal regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will set new rules early next week governing the mortgage finance companies' portfolios, which play a crucial role in the nation's housing market.
Washington policy makers have taken aim at one of the main contributing causes to the housing crisis: inflated appraisals.
Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have extended a moratorium on foreclosure suspensions for another three weeks, directing the mortgage servicers they work with to postpone any foreclosure or eviction proceedings through January 31.
Fannie Mae, the battered mortgage giant, has agreed to act as an interim landlord for thousands of tenants living in foreclosed homes around the country.
Imagine faithfully paying your rent month after month, and then having a sheriff at your door telling you that your family has to leave - immediately.
A House committee trying to uncover the roots of the credit crisis on Tuesday grilled several former CEOs of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Stocks tumbled Tuesday morning as a profit warning from FedEx and some buyer's remorse after a two-session rally sent stocks tumbling in the early going.
Loan modifications for homeowners in trouble: there are a lot of proposals out there. But what's the best way to go about reworking your mortgage terms? Here's what you need to know.
The feds are trying once more to resuscitate the mortgage market. But history shows reviving this patient won't be easy.
Freddie Mac reported a $25 billion quarterly loss Friday that forced the mortgage finance giant to tap $100 billion in bailout money set aside by the government.
Mortgage giants Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac may back 30 million mortgages. But that doesn't mean that the new foreclosure prevention program announced this week by the Bush administration will rescue every troubled borrower on their books.
The federal government's plan to streamline modifications of troubled loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won't help the majority of people threatened with foreclosure, experts said.
The Bush administration on Tuesday unveiled a new program to modify mortgages and stabilize the battered real estate market, but the plan stops short of providing direct government financial help to at-risk homeowners.
Stocks slumped Monday, as ongoing recession fears overshadowed any relief about China's $586 billion stimulus plan and the government's revamping of its deal with AIG.
Troubled mortgage-finance giant Fannie Mae reported on Monday that it lost $29 billion in the most recent quarter, putting the firm closer to having to draw on the $100 billion in taxpayer dollars committed to it in September.
In a time when closures or panicked liquidations of name-brand hedge funds have become commonplace, the opening of a $1 billion fund trading mortgage-backed securities and other types of credit should attract more than a few raised eyebrows.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the federal government will need to continue to play a role in the future of the mortgage financing market.
Falling house prices are still a problem. Could Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be part of the solution?
With two more countries entering the global fight to stem the world's financial crisis, lending rates continued to fall Monday, signaling the worldwide effort was easing the stranglehold on lending.
Low mortgage rates, the one bright spot in a devastated housing market, are on a rapid rise.
Many Americans today are asking themselves how the economy got to be in such a bad spot.
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