'Toxic' Mortgages (2007,2008)
"Bad Credit ? Bankruptcy ?
(a 'shameful story' web page) |
(2008 Oct blog post)
! Note !
Names and photos may be added,
if/when this web page is re-visited.
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INTRODUCTION: For anyone wondering how the 2007-2008 U.S. economic meltdown came about, they will find the CBS 2008 documentary House of Cards: The Morgage Mess very instructive. David Faber was director and narrator. If that CBS web link goes dead, you can try a WEB SEARCH on keywords such as 'documentary "house of cards" mortgage mess'. You may also be able to find it (or documentaries like it) on video web sites such as YouTube and on amazon.com. There was also a 2009 CNBC documentary called House of Cards: America's Mortgage Meltdown. A brief overview: These documentaries showed how 'street corner' mortgage creators popped up in 'Main Street' America. These lenders typically got people (who could not really afford the mortgages or qualify for them) to sign up for mortgages --- and told them they could leave the income-level part of the application form blank. These mortgage creators (who often came from non-financial occupations, including physical trainers and ex-car-salesmen) would fill-in a quite robust income for these clients. Then these 'Main Street' mortgage guys would quickly turn around and sell these 'toxic' mortgages to big 'Wall Street' banks --- who would then package them up into 'derivatives' --- for subsequent sale to unsuspecting investors, from all over the world (for example: Sweden and Iceland). Senator Dorgan on the meltdown: Besides video documentaries, a 25-minute podcast (mp3 audio file) of Senator Byron Dorgan (D-NorthDakota) was very illuminating. The podcast was titled "September 16, 2008 - Senator Dorgan Comments on the Economic Troubles Facing Our Nation" This podcast was stored at his 'http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/podcasts/' podcasts directory. Unfortunately, Dorgan, a true champion of integrity in the Senate, retired from the Senate in 2011, before the country devolved into a Tea-Party-type Republican mess. (Maybe he foresaw the scribbling on the wall.) (Note: The 23Meg audio file may take a good part of a minute to download to your computer, unless you have a very fast internet connection.) This audio is a "Meltdown 101" presentation --- a story of how history, specifically the 1930's, repeats itself. I saw first saw Dorgan on C-SPAN2, in September 2008, when Congress was having hearings on the Wall Street TARP bailout plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Dorgan was giving a flip-chart presentation on the causes of the bad mortgages and 'toxic assets', before the Senate. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa spoke briefly after Dorgan's presentation, complimenting Dorgan for the clarity of his presentation and mentioning that it would be helpful if the general citizenry were the beneficiaries of the information in his presentation. It's a sad story of greed, fellow citizens. The Dorgan presentation started out with illustrative mortgage ads that were still offered on the internet and various media in late 2008. Example content of the ads: "Bad credit? Bankruptcy? No problem! No down payment! No interest for 12 months!" |
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The Lenders Showed No Shame : Dorgan pointed out that he went on the internet, only a few days before his presentation in September 2008, and found mortgage ads that were offering mortgages to people with bad credit and people in bankruptcy. In fact, many lenders were offering mortgages with no down payment, and no payments for 12 months. AND THIS IS MANY MONTHS AFTER THE BIG BROU-HA-HA IN CONGRESS OVER THE 'TOXIC ASSETS' OF BANKS --- ASSETS POLLUTED WITH BAD MORTGAGES!! In October 2008 --- a month after Dorgan's internet search and the Congressional hearings and vote on the bailout/rescue plan --- I did a WEB SEARCH on the keywords and I got 4,570,000 hits on the first Google query, and 765,000 hits on the 2nd Google query. Many of these were ads --- not just articles discussing these issues. You can click on either of the two sets of keywords above to quickly do the same query now. You go to the 'bad credit', 'bankruptcy', and 'no down payment' web pages of specific lenders. There were even "sponsored links" (at the top and right sides of Google query pages) that linked to web pages of companies offering mortgages. Many of these sites STILL had 'bad credit? 'bankruptcy? --- no problem! no down payment!' pages somewhere on their site, in late 2008. Note that even if some of these sites are "legitimately" trying to help people with poor credit to purchase a home, there should be laws that the loans they generate are not to be packaged and re-sold to investment banks. These loan originators should be required to hold the loans (or at least retain 50% interest in them) until they are paid off --- or defaulted. In other words, the loan originators should be required to retain 'skin in the game'. That will strongly motivate them to NOT create 'toxic' mortgages. A List of 'Poor Credit' Mortgage Lenders (circa 2008) Let's make 'em (some mortgage entities) famous. Following are some of the names and web-sites of lenders that I have found via the two queries above. You can click on a name to quickly determine if that web site or page is still available --- and see the advertised terms of the offered mortgages. If I can find names and photos of executives and board members, I will post them here --- if I ever return to this page and find time. |
"Toxic" Mortgage Lenders :
(in numero-alphabetic order by company or site name)
|
1. Mortgage Lender, Reference-web-site/pages, Location, Contact info |
2. Executives, Board members |
3. Photos/addresses of execs | 4. Notes and quotes |
|---|---|---|---|
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1st Guaranty Mortgage
(They had a sponsored link at Google.) Address unknown. State Licensing? (Site was dead in 2018.) |
Names not readily available. Contact numbers 1-866-958-9996 or 954-776-3333 | Addresses not readily available. | "Poor credit -- we can help! Bankruptcy -- we can help! In foreclosure-- we can help! Get pre-approved in less than one hour." (2008 Oct) |
|
Abacus Loans
Address unknown. State Licensing? (Site was dead in 2018.) |
Names not readily available. "We are often asked: Why can't I just call you on the telephone? The answer: Because, we want to keep everything in writing. That way there are no mis- understandings. If it is written, it is an exact record of all of our communications!" "EGM Services, Inc P O Box 430 Seville, FL 32190 Toll Free Info Line 1-877-597-5047" |
Addresses not readily available. | "Horrible Credit - You may have been turned away elsewhere, but everyone is welcome here!" (2008 Oct) |
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Bad Credit Alliance
Address unknown. State Licensing? (Site was dead in 2018.) |
Names not readily available. |
Addresses not readily available. "All bad credit personal loans, home loans, credit cards, and auto loans are now accessable for USA residents in all 50 states." |
"Even if you have been discharged from Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy, gone through a recent divorce or have current bad credit problems, our lenders can still help you refinance your mortgage!" (2008 Oct) |
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Bad Credit Loan Services
Address unknown. State Licensing? (Site was 'alive' in 2018.) |
Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. | "You don't have to worry anymore about your credit. Regardless of your credit score or history, you'll be able to obtain all the finance you need. ... If you have bad credit, no credit or even a past bankruptcy, you can still get the loan product that you want with immediate approval." (2008 Oct) |
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eRate
2900 Gordon Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95051 1-888-88-ERATE Good guys or bad guys? |
Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. |
"Zero down payment or 100% financing ... No Cash needed for
down payment" (Oct 2008) However, on About-Us page:
"While the mortgage industry as a whole remains
embroiled in the fallout from the sub-prime lending meltdown,
ERATE can hold its head high in the knowledge that it chose
not to participate in questionable sub-prime lending practices
but rather maintained its focus on the large segment of consumers
and lenders who could withstand the legitimate, long-proven
underwriting standards that had been the hallmark of the mortgage
industry's past."
NOTE: No-down-payment mortgages are practically the definition of sub-prime mortgages. These clients are unlikely to be able to keep up with payments. |
| Five Stars Mortgage Florida ? 1-800-871-2636 | Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. |
"Two great programs for people with bad credit are: - FHA can be used for Purchase or Refinance loans. - USDA Rural Loans" (2008 Oct) |
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GMAC Mortgage
General inquiries: GMAC Mortgage 3451 Hammond Avenue Waterloo, IA 50702 1-800-205-4622 Also KY and AZ addresses. |
Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. |
"Loans with little or no down payment" link on left of pages.
(Oct 2008) GMAC became Ally Bank. |
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Home Mortgage Match
(Searches for no-down-payment
mortgage lenders for you.)
HomeMortgageMatch was a sponsored link on Google. (2008 Oct) (Site was dead in 2018.) |
Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. | When I specified that I wanted a less than 5% down loan AND that I am in bankruptcy, this site provided me with links to (2008 Oct) |
| i Credit Central Franklin, TN | Names not readily available. | Addresses not readily available. | "we offer a variety of FHA loan programs to assist you in making your first time home purchase decision - even with bad credit problems or past bankruptcy." (2008 Oct) |
| Lending Tree HQ Location? 1-800-555-TREE |
Doug Lebda, Chairman and CEO David Norris, President, LendingTree Loans Others: Bob Harris, Darren Beck, Scott Cammarn, Keith Moore, Matt Packey CFO |
Although LendingTree has warnings, like the following, about no-down-payment loans, one has to wonder if their loans are packaged and sold to investment banks. "Before choosing a no-down-payment loan, you should consider both your own personal situation and the state of the housing market. ... If you were to choose a no-down-payment mortgage and the price of houses were to drop in value, you could find yourself in the position of owing more for your home than it’s potential resale value." | |
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Quicken Loans
Main Office: 20555 Victor Parkway, Livonia, MI 48152
(800) 251-9080 |
"Dana G., Senior Mortgage Banker" | Addresses not readily available. | "Today, it's common for people to put as little as three percent down on their new home. ... The FHA Express is a mortgage that only requires a 3% down payment. ... By not putting as much money toward a down payment, you can use it for other things such as paying off or consolidating debt." (Oct 2008) |
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Think Mutual Bank
HQ location: 5200 Members Parkway NW, Rochester, MN? Branches: Rochester & Edina & St. Paul, MN ; Kansas City, MO ; Oakbrook Terrace, IL Customer Service: 1-800-288-3425 |
Paul Mackin, CEO ; Kevin DeVore, Chairman of Board ; VPs: Tom Floyd, Dan Beck, Cheryl Schaefer, Steve Spohn, Kirk Muhlenbruck, Mike Snyder | "The no down payment mortgage has been designed to assist first time home buyers and low to medium income families with the purchase of a home. ... Interest rate and payment are constant for the term of the loan. ... 5 or 7 year balloon loans" (constant AND balloon? contradictory?) (2008 Oct) | |
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TMC Lending
TMC Lending Smith Mountain Lake, VA Phone (540) 719-1115 Toll Free (888) 648-1714 |
Bob Gammache, CMPS (Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist) bgammache@ Verizon.net |
"No down payment loans are my specialty." (2008 Oct) | |
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Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
HQ location? over 2,400 branches. Homebuying or Refinance: 1-800-525-3880 |
Richard M. Kovacevich, Chairman ; John G. Stumpf, President and CEO ; VPs: Howard I. Atkins, CFO ; Richard D. Levy, Controller ; Michael J. Loughlin, Mark C. Oman, James M. Strother ; Carrie L. Tolstedt |
"Don't have enough for a sizeable down payment? Wells Fargo Home
Mortgage provides solutions that address the needs of homebuyers
who: ... - Are first-time homebuyers whose high rents left them strapped for cash - Have low-to-moderate incomes and few cash reserves" (Oct 2008) (I thought Wells Fargo was one of the more responsible lenders. This sounds rather irresponsible to me.) |
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And the list could go on and on and on. There was a May 2008 Forbes article (by Maurna Desmond), which was titled 'No Down Payment? No Problem.'. It gives some more information on how this sorry state of affairs was continuing, even after the subprime mortgage problem revealed its ugly head by early 2008. Comments on the list/table above : If the mortgage market blows up again, I would hope to eventually add the names of other seemingly unethical and predatory and downright traitorous mortgage lenders to this table --- or start a new page. I would hope to find time to do follow-up web searches on the names of CEOs and other officers in these corporations --- to post information that would be helpful in determining what specific damage, if any, these people may be doing to our nation and to our financial system and to the debt load of us taxpayers. Personally, I think most 'toxic' mortgage creating people are traitors to this country and they do not deserve to be called "fellow citizens". By their actions, they have given up their right to citizenship. They should be given a parachute and a bottle of water and a plane trip to an Aleutian island, over which they will be required to bail out. Then it is Survivor time, for the rest of their sociopathic lives. They deserve to have their names and pictures posted on walls-of-shame all over this country. In my mind, their images are to be classified along with such historical personages as Hitler, Stalin, Sadam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and various serial killers. In fact, I will add images (or links to images) beside the names of 'toxic' mortgage executives --- if I find their names and the time to find photos of them. It is very sad to think that there is a very real chance that these people (by being allowed to roam free) may be allowed to continue to provide the basis of more 'toxic assets' --- to be packaged and sold to banking-investment institutions. The last 8 years (2000-2008) have been a debacle. I do not see how history could judge Congress and the Executive branch to be anything other than the Worst Of All Time (WOAT), if they allow these practices to continue. |
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