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STORIES:
The
Government's Plan To Save Housing Will Cause People To Default Over And Over
- (www.businessinsider.com) Here We Go Again: On March 27, 2013, the Federal Housing Finance
Administration (FHFA) announced the introduction of still another mortgage
modification program. Entitled the Streamlined Modification Program, it
was intended to enable distressed borrowers to more easily qualify for a
modification. Unlike the HAMP modification program, borrowers will not have to
show any financial hardship whatsoever in order to qualify. If their
first lien is owned or guaranteed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the only
requirement is that they be delinquent for 90 days or more and complete a
3-month trial period. Also – they cannot be delinquent for more than two
years and cannot have had two or more previous modifications. Nice deal,
huh? The obvious criticism is that it will only encourage borrowers to
default in order to qualify. FHFA’s answer is that it will minimize
losses to Fannie and Freddie by reducing foreclosures. Really?
1.7
million borrowers are seriously delinquent on government-backed loans - (www.ochousingnews.com) The US taxpayer (you) paid for the mess the bank’s made. Back in late
2008, the Department of Treasury took the GSEs under conservatorship and
injected about $150 billion into them to make them solvent. And although the
FHA has not officially requested a bailout yet, it’s no secreta bailout is coming. The
only mystery so far is when the bailout will come and how large the ultimate
price will be. Politicians have consistently lied to us about housing bailouts.
The first batch of lies surrounded the GSEs: “There is no guarantee. There’s no
explicit guarantee. There’s no implicit guarantee. There’s no wink-and-nod
guarantee. Invest and you’re on your own.” — Barney Frank, senior Democratic
congressman, notable Fannie supporter, later chairman of the House Financial
Services Committee. We do not believe there is any government guarantee, and we
go out of our way to say there is not a government guarantee.” — John Snow,
Republican and secretary of the Treasury. “The facts are that Fannie and
Freddie are in sound situations.” — Christopher Dodd, senior Democratic
senator, prominent Fannie supporter, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. “We
have no plans to insert money into either of those two institutions [Fannie and
Freddie].” — Henry Paulson, Republican and secretary of the Treasury
Japan
says no panic over yen spike; few policy options - (www.reuters.com) Japan's government showed little concern on Friday to a spike in the
yen, but the calm response masks a lack of solid policy options should the
recently floundering currency surge further. The yen marked its biggest one-day
climb against the dollar in three years on Thursday, underscoring the fragility
of the early benefits from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's aggressive reflationary
policies. Stock and currency markets in recent days
have taken back a significant chunk of the feel-good effect of
"Abenomics," a policy prescription of sweeping fiscal and monetary
expansion aimed at breaking years of deflation and reviving the world's
third-biggest economy.
Turkish
PM returns, declares protests must stop now - (www.reuters.com) Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan flew back to a Turkey rocked by days
of anti-government unrest on Friday and declared before a sea of flag-waving
supporters at Istanbul airport: "These protests must end
immediately." "No power but Allah can stop Turkey's rise," he
told thousands who gathered in the early hours to greet him in the first
pro-Erdogan rally since demonstrations began a week ago. At Istanbul's Taksim
Square, centre of the protests now occupied by thousands around the clock, some
chanted "Tayyip resign" as they watched a broadcast of the address.
In the capital Ankara, the Kugulu Park echoed to anti-government slogans, while
protesters danced or sang the national anthem.
Samsung
Electronics loses $12 billion market value on smartphone worries - (www.reuters.com) Samsung Electronics Co lost
$12 billion in market value on Friday, hit by brokerage downgrades that have
underscored concerns about slowing sales of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone. The
share slide of more than 6 percent comes after it recently introduced two
stripped-down versions of the S4, fanning worries that profit margins for its
mobile business will suffer.
It also follows a report that arch-rival Apple will begin a
trade-in program for iPhones. The new stripped-down S4 models will help it
widen its lead in the global smartphone market and fend off Chinese
competitors, but some fear that the South Korean tech giant is trading in
profits for volume.
Market
turbulence hits mortgage investors - (www.ft.com)
US borrowers who take out the country’s traditional 30-year fixed-rate
mortgages win both ways. If rates fall, they can refinance for lower monthly
payments; if they rise, they can sit back and boast of their good fortune at
having locked-in a great rate. The risk of rising rates is shouldered by others
– and risk is the operative word. The humble mortgage has a history of humbling
the biggest names on Wall Street. In the $1.3tn a year market for mortgage-backed securities,
where loans are pooled together and traded, small changes in interest rates can
mean the difference between big gains and big losses. And the sudden return of
market turbulence is a foretaste of what could come if the Federal Reserve puts the brakes on
monetary stimulus. Moreover, while this market has previously been
the preserve of sophisticated traders and money managers, this time it is small
investors that could be in the line of fire – through a fast-growing class of
stock market-listed investment companies called mortgage Reits (real
estate investment trusts).
Debt
Risk Heads for Third Weekly Rise as Yields Surge in Europe - (www.bloomberg.com)
Aso Says Japan Won’t Intervene in Market After Surge in Yen - (www.bloomberg.com)
Aso Says Japan Won’t Intervene in Market After Surge in Yen - (www.bloomberg.com)
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