The Problem Of A Housing Crisis

The mortgage crisis of 2007 marked catastrophe for millions of homeowners who suffered from foreclosure and short sales. Most of the problems involving the foreclosing of families’ homes could boil down to risky borrowing and lending. Lenders were pushed to ensure families would be eligible for a loan, when in previous years the same families would have been deemed too high-risk to obtain any kind of loan. With the increase in high-risk families obtaining loans, there was a huge increase in home buyers and subsequently a rapid increase in home prices. As a result, prices peaked and then began falling just as fast as they rose. Soon after families began to default on their mortgages forcing them either into foreclosure or short sales. Who was to blame for the risky lending and borrowing that caused the mortgage meltdown? Many might blame the company Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but in reality the entire system of buying and selling and free market failed home owners and the housing economy.

The foreclosure crisis is the second major financial dilemma of the twenty-first century. To solve this, the roots of the problem need to be dug up and exposed followed by replanting with an appropriately improved regulatory system to help build stronger roots for the future. It seems that the free market system can't be free anymore given its intertwining roots extend way beyond domestic to international financial systems. There are two fundamental causes to the latest credit crisis: 1) poor quality securitized mortgages and 2) insufficient underwriting for credit poor borrowers. Secondary (downstream) problems making the financial crisis more complex include underemployment and business failures. Many banks,

Mortgage law is as clear, consistent, and enforceable in the United States as in any place in the world, and far more so than in many countries. Why is this a vital element of an efficient real estate finance system?

The housing crisis of the late 2000s rocked the economy and changed the landscape of the real estate business for years to come. Decades of people purchasing houses unfordable houses and properties with lenient loans policies led to a collective housing bubble. When the banking system faltered and the economy wilted, interest rates were raised, mortgages increased, and people lost their jobs amidst the chaos. This all culminated in tens of thousands of American losing their houses to foreclosures and short sales, as they could no longer afford the mortgage payments on their homes. The United States entered a recession and homeownership no longer appeared to be a feasible goal as many questioned whether the country could continue to support a middle-class. Former home owners became renters and in some cases homeless as the American Dream was delayed with no foreseeable return. While the future of the economy looked bleak, conditions gradually improved. American citizens regained their jobs, the United States government bailed out the banking industry, and regulations were put in place to deter such events as the mortgage crash from ever taking place again. The path to homeowner ship has been forever altered, as loans in general are now more difficult to acquire and can be accompanied by a substantial down payment.

The regulation that I have chosen for this paper is amendment in the Regulation X i.e. “Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act” and Regulation Z which is for “Truth in Lending”, for establishing the new disclosure requirements and forms in Regulation Z for the most closed-end consumer credit transactions secured by the real property. This regulation is controlled by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. The role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is to provide consumers information related to the terms of their agreements with financial companies during their application for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial products. The mortgage market is the single largest market for the consumer of financial products and the services in the United States, with approximately $10.4 trillion in loans outstanding. Since last decade, market went through an unprecedented cycle of the expansion and the contraction that was fuelled in the part by securitization of mortgages and the creation of increasingly sophisticated derivative products. This led to the collapse of financial system in 2008 and sparked the most severe recession in United States.

In the lead up to the current recession, when the real estate market began to fall, there were so many investors shorting stocks and securitized mortgage packages that were already falling, that the market simply fell further. There were no buyers at the bottom, and the professional investors made millions off of the losses of others. Beyond this, there was no real federal regulation for securitized mortgages, since there was no real way to gauge the mathematical risk of any given package. This allowed the investors to take advantage of the system and to short loans on real people’s homes. Once these securities were worthless, many of the homebuyer’s defaulted on their mortgages and were left penniless. No matter from which angle this crisis is looked at, the blame rests squarely with the managers who began the entire cycle, the ones who pursued the securitization of mortgages. Their incompetence not only led to the losses of Americans who have never invested in the stock market, but to losses for their shareholders.

This way the government could stabilize the market and only the houses at the top would be left unoccupied. These top tier homes could be offered for sale or for rent if a sale is not possible. A new loan could be made for the trade down, but the members of the family would be required to take a class on how to save and create financial goals.

After the bursting of the United States housing bubble, many homeowners found themselves in a dire situation. Following the dot-com bubble burst, the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates, meaning credit was cheap. Lower lending standards also meant that consumers with not-so-great credit were suddenly able to attain adjustable rate mortgages with a minimum of money down and easy initial terms. In 2004, approaching the pinnacle of the housing market’s climb, former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, actually encouraged Americans to take out adjustable rate mortgages. Then, as 2006 came, Americans saw the housing market reach its peak and subsequently plummet downward. As a result, it became difficult to impossible forthe borrowers

As the economy drops and foreclosures are on the rise, millions of Americans who were financially stable several years ago are asking the same question, “How could this happen to me?” The crisis has occupied the minds of politicians, who are trying desperately to solve this problem, but the tragedy continues as more and more Americans are foreclosed on with no alternatives. The foreclosure crisis will not be solved by simply lowering interest rates, firing loan brokers, or other short-term, ineffective solutions. The long term solution to the housing crisis has nothing to do with housing. The government has lost its way and needs to redirect the way the whole economy is run.

Free market indicators of the housing market have many economists thinking that a housing recovery cannot survive without government support. Yet the real 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one is discussing though is that the government is really not in any position to help support a housing recovery. At present, the Federal debt is approaching almost 100 percent of GDP and the Federal Reserve continues to maintain interest rates at a 0.00 rate. This means that the resources are very limited that are available to the government to help support a housing

The Housing Disaster and subsequent Great Recession of 2007 were predicted by several well-known Economists, although it still caught a majority of the Country and World by surprise! I wasn’t prepared for this economic shock either, as I had just finished real estate school and passed my State and National licensing exams during the previous year. It was a tough start to a real estate business but proved valuable in the lessons I learned during those next several years.

The last five years have been a rollercoaster for the average American homeowner. I personally know many people who were unable to keep their homes. Most of the reasons were extenuating- loss of job, decline in business, death of family- ultimately resulting in no longer being able to afford the mortgage. Unfortunately there were some very irresponsible decisions that contributed to the foreclosure of homes, for example, financing huge second and third mortgages to pay for frivolous activities and items. With the last half decade of hard lessons learned for previous home owners many are looking to venture into the market again with some more creative financing options. Many sellers are turning to options such as rent-to-own or seller carrying the contract with a down payment as well as buyers borrowing against existing retirement and life insurance accounts.

As the foreclosure crisis in the United States continues to spiral, increasing attention is being given to novel and creative solutions for reducing the risk of mortgage default. The Obama administration has proposed several government-backed programs to help homeowners stay in their homes, and private lenders have tried various approaches to stabilize the economic situation. To date, none of the enacted efforts has substantially improved the crisis, and as such the number of homeowners filing for bankruptcy and entering foreclosure continues to mount.

In 2008, amidst record unemployment, foreclosures, swollen housing values which spawned a credit crisis; a dangerous recession occurred. To stop the bleeding, the President and Congress 's swift action saved Freddie Mac and Freddie and a host of collapsing Banks and sought to reform Wall Street by passing the Dodd- Franks act and Consumer Protection Act, which increased regulation and oversight over the entire financial industry The sad fact is neither bars nontraditional mortgage or restrict which ones can be securitized. Therefore, these high risk options can resurface if a revived market demands it. There are signs that money has migrated to unregulated places with unknown risk, bubble prices could be attached. (thefiscaltimes.com/2015/06/05). The reason for this stealthy resurgence of the shadow market is the economy has improved markedly: housing values have rebounded, unemployment rate is down, financial markets are stable and newly formed government agencies are underfunded and cannot muster up any long term policing of a market, that has an un-quenching thirst for home ownership. My plan would require a joint and focused effort between government and financial entities.The guiding principles of my plan, which will combat past mistakes include, unemployment manipulation, land valuation control, fully funded enforcement agencies, comprehensive foreclosure prevention, Treasury, Freddie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD and FHA reform. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the past.

The current real estate crisis that America finds itself in is one of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. America’s troubles are further compounded by increasing unemployment of American citizens and environmental problems like global warming. Solving any one of these problems would be a Herculean task, yet they must each be addressed in order to protect American families from disaster. However, it is possible to find a solution to the problems of the real estate crisis that can also be used to improve the problems of the unemployment and environmental destruction. The first part of the solution involves the United States government purchasing the homes that have been foreclosed and using them to offer temporary housing to