http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9788
"The housing bubble and its aftermath arose from market distortions created by the Federal Reserve, government backing of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Housing Authority. We are experienc- ing the unfortunate results of perverse govern- ment policies."
Anyone who really thinks "predatory lenders" and "greedy bankers" are to blame for this "free market failure" ought to read this.
Not that anyone (well, there is one guy...) in Washington is listening...
Main causes of this problem:
1 - Adjustable Rate Mortgages and knowledge-less home buyers 2 - Investment Banks securitizing Mortgages in the form of collateralized debt obligations
Home owner unable to pay mortgage --> value of "Mortgage backed securities" declines --> suddenly house value drops and owner can no longer use it as equity to finance payments --> more foreclosures and ibanks take huge hits in MBS trading and CDOs --> debt piles on home buyers who at once were financing homes using ARMs --> consumer spending, confidence declines--> earnings reports hit hard for major companies--> SNOWBALL effect
in addition to that, the major GSEs were unable to securitize, sell off their loans due to a lack of demand in the MBS/CDO market. And with the briliance of marked to market accounting, these items tore up the balance sheets of GSE and banks alike "forcing" the govt to intervene.
Greed and recklessness.
Greed is fine, but when mixed with recklessness, a lethal combination.
Sigh
I think I have to agree with the article here - greed is a constant and can't be what actually caused this. Yeah, greed is what allowed things to happen the way they did, but, like the author says, blaming this mess on greed is akin to blaming airplane crashes on gravity. Gravity enables airplanes to crash, but no one would go around and say the plane crashed due to gravity.
Nihil optio voluptatem debitis. Reprehenderit rerum ut numquam. Perspiciatis aut nisi aut ipsa. Ut facilis repellendus cum asperiores.
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