Little Italy: Drinking with a ghost named Wanda
Ed Bedford 2:59 a.m., May 22
In fall of 2006, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), a government organization, announced with pride that it was going to securitize reverse mortgages — that is, sell them to investors. Uh-oh. The securitization process in subprime mortgages is bringing the big Wall Street financial houses to their knees, begging for financial support from countries such as Singapore. The American institutions hold portfolios of smelly mortgages and have already written down tens of billions of dollars, and nobody knows how bad the losses will get.
The reverse mortgage market is much, much smaller than the subprime market, but it could hurt some investors. It’s a shame that a bunch of avaricious peddlers have infiltrated reverse mortgages, which can be a very useful product for older people.
Comments
JohnnyVegas Jan. 23, 2008 @ 10:30 p.m.
Anyone who engages in financial elder abuse in CA could be subject to some very long prison terms, in addition to the civil lawsuits.
Make an example or two out of any scammers and that will cure a lot of the problem.
Reader Administration Jan. 25, 2008 @ 4:08 p.m.
Bauder hits a home run.
Don Bauder Jan. 31, 2008 @ 10:50 a.m.
Response to post of 10:23 p.m.: Selling reverse mortgages and then talking the buyer into putting the proceeds into an annuity that doesn't pay off for a long time is definitely elder abuse. Best, Don Bauder
Don Bauder Jan. 31, 2008 @ 10:52 a.m.
Response to post of 4:20 p.m.: The tragedy is that these abuses put a shadow over reverse mortgages, that are generally very good products. Best, Don Bauder
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