Mortgage Crisis

The Congressional Oversight Committee tasked with looking into the economic crisis says in a new report that there is a continuing risk of banks holding onto troubled assets, including real estate. Minnesota Public Radio talks to noted experts.

August 14, 2009 - Minnesota Public Radio

James Surowiecki dispels the myth that banks are better off renegotiating mortgage then foreclosing.

August 4, 2009 - The New Yorker

Schadenfreude is a German concept that means "taking pleasure in the suffering of others." Columnist Meghan Daum is experiencing 'debtenfreude'; the pleasure in watching house flippers and McMansion builders fall to the economic downturn.

June 8, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

New census data released Weds. shows that fewer Americans moved this year than in any year since they started keeping track back in 1947.

April 23, 2009 - The New York Times

General Growth Properties, the 2nd largest mall operator in the nation, declared bankruptcy this morning. The company was felled by mounting debt from short-term mortgages it used to expand its holdings.

April 16, 2009 - The New York Times

Its political and financial leaders have long insisted that Canada was insulated from an American-style subprime mortgage crisis. However, a Globe & Mail study reveals that western Canada is facing an "alarming" rate of foreclosures.

March 17, 2009 - The Globe and Mail

The revitalization of downtown Los Angeles took another hit this week, as real estate firm Meruleo Maddox Properties Inc., the largest private landowner in the area, revealed that it may have to file for bankruptcy protection.

March 16, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

In a recent feature in Time Magazine called 'Ten Ideas Changing the World Right Now,' no. 2 on the list is 'Recycling the Suburbs.'

March 15, 2009 - Time

With roughly 10,000 foreclosures in the last two years, Cleveland has been hit hard by the economic crisis.

March 9, 2009 - The New York Times

If the government bails out banks, it also better put aside money for structural reform that ensures the proper valuation of property. According to Elena Panaritis, a housing market driven by speculation catalyzed the recession in the first place.

February 25, 2009 - Guardian

David Axelrod, senior White House aide to President Obama, announced this morning that the President is about to present a new plan for to halt foreclosures and stop falling real estate prices.

February 15, 2009 - The Wall St. Journal

The latest figures show that one out of every 54 households were in foreclosure in 2008; analysts expect millions more foreclosures in the coming year.

January 16, 2009 - Foreclosures up a record 81% in 2008

The question is no longer how to improve the suburbs, says Allison Arieff, but what we're going to do with all the leftover buildings and unfinished sites.

January 13, 2009 - The New York Times

The latest figures show a dramatic drop in housing starts across the United States -- a sign, according to Dean Baker, that builders are having trouble securing credit.

December 29, 2008 - Center for Economic and Policy Research

The Bush Administration's ideology of homeownership combined with a lack of oversight contributed significantly to the collapse of the housing market and the present economic crisis, according to this New York Times investigation.

December 22, 2008 - New York Times

With a record amount of commercial real-estate debt coming due, some of the country's biggest property developers have become the latest to go hat-in-hand to the government for assistance.

December 22, 2008 - The Wall St. Journal

December 4, 2008 - Nate Berg

Vallejo, CA declared bankruptcy last spring, felled by fiscal mismanagement and falling property taxes. Cities around the country are looking to Vallejo's example as they teeter near the edge.

November 26, 2008 - Governing Magazine

Latest figures are indicating that as many as 4 in 10 mortgage holders in America could soon be "underwater," with the potential for millions to simply walk away.

November 25, 2008 - McClatchey Newspapers

Des Moines, IA is one of 28 metropolitan areas that have seen home prices go up in the third quarter, according to the National Association of Realtors.

November 24, 2008 - The Des Moines Register