Subprime Collapse

Battered National City—which has seen shares plummet 78% as it's been overwhelmed by the subprime fiasco—is close to a $6 billion bailout funded by some of its largest shareholders and private equity firm Corsair Capital, reports the Wall Street Journal . The infusion for the Cleveland-based bank would be the third rescue package this month for a struggling bank that offers discounted shares to raise capital. More »

Should all Americans own their dream home? Not really, writes Joshua Riner in the New Republic —only those who can afford one. But Washington made homebuying easy, sparked the subprime crisis, and is now making things worse by buying up risky mortgages. Officials "need to replace the dream of homeownership with policies that actually increase wealth—not just the illusion of it," writes Riner. More »

With the housing market in turmoil, President Bush is turning to an investment banker-turned-bureaucrat to head HUD, the Washington Post reports. Steven Preston, 47, has run the Small Business Administration since 2006 after a stint at Lehman Brothers; he succeeds Alphonso Jackson, who announced his resignation 2 weeks ago amid allegations of uethical misconduct. More »

Citigroup reported a first-quarter loss of $5.1 billion today, posting another $14 billion in writedowns as a result of the credit crunch and loan defaults, the Wall Street Journal reports. The loss of $1.02 a share exceeded analysts' estimates and marks the second straight quarterly loss for the nation's biggest bank. It plans 9,000 layoffs next quarter. More »

Washington Mutual shareholders got some of the blood they were out for yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reports, as the company backtracked on a pay scheme that would have shielded company executives from the subprime fallout. Board finance-committee head Mary Pugh also resigned, appeasing investors who blamed her for failing to prevent WaMu’s mortgage-related losses. More »

Some Wall Street hedge-fund managers earned billions betting against the market last year, with the top of the class, John Paulson, shaking loose $3.7 billion, the New York Times reports. With the US median family income at $60,500, the booty embarrassed even some of his Wall Street peers. “It’s not illegal,” said Pimco's CIO. “But it’s ugly." More »

Merrill Lynch is likely to report another $6 billion to $8 billion in writedowns related to the subprime collapse tomorrow, leading to a third consecutive quarterly loss, the Wall Street Journal reports. Merrill’s chronic mortgage losses—$30 billion and counting—show just how deep the world's largest brokerage is mired in the mess, and have it slashing costs and jobs. More »

JPMorgan Chase, battling $5.1 billion in subprime writeoffs and deteriorating consumer credit, reported first quarter profits fell 50%, reports the Wall Street Journal. CEO Jamie Dimon warned the outlook for the remainder of 2008 was likely as grim. Morgan—the 3rd-largest US bank—said profits dropped to $2.37 billion, or 68 cents a share, down from $4.79 billion, or $1.34 a year earlier. More »

Bank repossessions skyrocketed 129% over the 12-month period ending in March, and foreclosure filings rose 57% over the previous year, RealtyTrac announced today. March foreclosure notices rose 5%, after a 4% decline in February. All this “is ongoing fallout from people overextending themselves and using highly toxic loan products,” said a RealtyTrac VP. And it hasn't peaked yet. More »

Wachovia reported a surprise first-quarter loss today 2 years after taking over a subprime-dealing savings and loan. The CEO of the fourth-largest US bank was “deeply disappointed” that the bank lost $393 million, or 20 cents a share; analysts had anticipated earnings of 40 cents a share, Bloomberg reports. Wachovia cut its dividend; it plans to raise $7 billion to replenish capital reserves by selling shares and axing 500 jobs. More »

The recession has begun to nip at the heels of New York's big law firms, reports the Wall Street Journal. S ome firms are beginning to lay off associates, rescind offers to those coming out of law school, and scale back summer associate programs. It's all due to a slowdown in work relating to mortgages, real estate transactions, mergers, and private equity deals. More »

John McCain reversed his laissez-faire policy on the mortgage crisis today, saying government should indeed help subprime mortgage holders get guaranteed 30-year mortgages. “There is nothing more important than keeping alive the American dream to own your home,” the Republican said. McCain was criticized for his earlier stance that neither banks nor borrowers should be rewarded for acting irresponsibly. More »

The Senate approved a $15 billion measure to address the housing slump today, including $6 billion in total tax breaks to homebuilding firms and a $7,000 tax credit for buyers of foreclosed homes. Though it passed by an 84-12 margin, opposition from President Bush and the House could yet sink the measure, Reuters reports. More »

The subprime crisis isn’t bad for everyone: congressmen and lobbying firms are doing great, Politico reports. Industries caught in the crunch have drastically scaled up their campaign contributions, and dozens of new lobbying firms have sprung up to cash in. Securities and investment PACs, for example, have already given more in 2008 than they gave throughout the midterm elections in 2006. More »

Homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure are about to get a boost from the Federal Housing Administration. The FHA commissioner is expected to announce plans to expand an aid program that will allow borrowers saddled with negative equity to write down part of their mortgages and refinance their homes with cheaper FHA-insured loans, reports the Wall Street Journal. More »

The housing crisis has caused the number of homes for sale across the country to grow, but in Las Vegas, brokers are dealing with an unusual aspect of swelling inventory—an excess of $1 million-plus listings. Although they're luxury properties with pools and excesses of polished marble, those constructed more than a few years ago are tough to sell because they're considered outdated. The LA Times goes house-hunting. More »

Cheap Asian imports have helped keep American inflation down for decades—but those days appear to be over, the New York Times warns. Rapidly rising costs of fuel, food and labor in countries like China, Vietnam, and Taiwan are beginning to be passed on to their export markets, just as the American dollar weakens and recession looms. More »

If Bob Fanning dies in the next decade, the buyer of his Wisconsin home—listed at $498,900—will get a half-million dollar payday. That’s because the 69-year-old plans to make the new owner the beneficiary of a 10-year life-insurance policy, a carrot he hopes will sweeten the deal in a tough real-estate market, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. More »

The subprime crisis has hit Goldy Anthony hard; she can’t even afford her bi-monthly trips to the plastic surgeon anymore. “I would rather have Botox than go out to dinner, but it’s just gotten so bad,” says Anthony, who works in Los Angeles' slumping mortgage business. Woes like hers are hurting Beverly Hills plastic surgeons, who are losing would-be face-lift-ees. More »

UBS, one of the banks hardest hit by the subprime collapse with $37.7 billion in writedowns, is under attack from an investor group led by one of its former presidents, reports the Wall Street Journal . The group wants the Swiss banking giant to spin off its investment bank, blaming it for the bank's woes. More »