Monday, February 16, 2009

There is always a deal...

In this linked article about the challenges the federal regulators face in the current economic climate I found a couple of interesting passages to share.

From the article...

DebtX of Boston and First Financial Network of Oklahoma City, for instance, sell loans at auction to investors who typically pay 5 cents to 85 cents for each dollar of outstanding principal, according to Bliss A. Morris, First Financial’s president. It is unloading hundreds of houses across the country at bargain basement prices. In November, Lula Smith, 86, of Kansas City, Mo., bought a two-bedroom house across the street from her home for $4,000, one-tenth of its value two years ago.

“I am real satisfied with that price, yes sir,” she said, adding that after about $1,000 in additional costs to repair the house, and some new carpet, her son and daughter-in-law will move in. “It was a nice little deal, indeed.”


Always a deal.

Last month, the F.D.I.C formed a partnership with a company called Private National Mortgage Acceptance Company, based in Calabasas, Calif., which paid $43 million to take possession of $560 million in loans left from First National Bank of Nevada. Private National, a company set up last year to profit from the bad-debt market, paid the equivalent of 38 cents on the dollar for the 3,800 loans, which were left after another bank took over First National’s branches and deposits.

The company will try to collect payments from borrowers after renegotiating mortgages, or, if necessary, foreclose on loans and sell the property. Private National said it hoped to make an annual profit of more than 20 percent for its investors.

Despite the small upfront price Private National paid, F.D.I.C. officials said they considered it a good deal. The government will receive, at least initially, 80 percent of any money Private National can generate from the loans.

I'm posting this because I'm finally starting to see this kind of stuff in the media after hearing about efforts like these for probably a year now.

Still messy and likely means a loss for taxpayers at the behest of the political class in DC.

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