Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

NPR's New Pet: A Toxic Asset

Reporters buy a window into the financial crisis

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 12, 2010 5:54 PM CST

(Newser) – Despite being widely blamed for the financial crisis, the bundled mortgage bonds commonly known as "toxic" assets still exist, and trading is beginning to recover. In hopes of getting a new perspective on the financial crisis, NPR's Planet Money decided to buy a toxic asset. After some searching—the assets' murky nature means that price spreads are huge—they settled on a $1,000 stake of a $36,000 bundle of 2,000 American mortgages.

At one point, the bond was worth $2.7 million. But now nearly half of the homeowners are behind on their payments, and 15% of the homes are in foreclosure. The borrowers come from states synonymous with the housing crunch: California, Florida, Arizona. As these homes fall into foreclosure, the bond disappears. But the authors, who bought with their own money, just got a check for $141 from homeowners still making their payments. "If it goes to Thanksgiving, we could double our money," they conclude.

This undated photo released by Terry Hoskins, who allegedly bulldozed his own home after a bank began foreclosure proceedings, shows a bulldozer standing near Hoskins' home in Moscow, Ohio.
This undated photo released by Terry Hoskins, who allegedly bulldozed his own home after a bank began foreclosure proceedings, shows a bulldozer standing near Hoskins' home in Moscow, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Terry Hoskins via WLWT)
In this photo made Sept. 16, 2009, a foreclosed home is shown in Owosso, Mich.
In this photo made Sept. 16, 2009, a foreclosed home is shown in Owosso, Mich.   (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
7%
50%
13%
13%
11%
7%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
emcsorley
Mar 14, 2010 6:53 PM CDT
There are California Indian children living on a reservation notorious for mercury toxicity from gold mine tailings in Clearlake, CA It is a federally-designated superfund site. I haven't heard about any cases of autism arising from that band of California Indians. It would be an interesting public health research project, and might dovetail into this ongoing debate.
Altoecko
Mar 13, 2010 2:23 AM CST
I posted this on my facebook just the other day, it's so cool(and sad) to me that you can see so clearly into the toxic asset market. These guys bought the collective mortgages of some random families.

More Newser Stories

White House: Let's Kill Fannie, Freddie

$26B Mortgage Settlement a 'Modest' Help: Experts

Freddie Mac Bet Billions Against Homeowners

Ex-Banker: Yeah, Collapse Was Our Fault

Don't Let Bankers 'Off the Hook'


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne