Bam! Bam! Barney Frank’s Bailout Bill Survives As A Provision
“The U.S. Congress may vote today on a rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after lawmakers reached a deal on legislation aimed at alleviating the worst housing recession…
JustQuotes: A Hard Lesson To Learn, So Let’s Not Forget
“The San Francisco Redevelopment Agency will leave the Western Addition in January, ending a 40-year “urban renewal” project that was touted as a move to wipe out blight but actually…
JustQuotes: U.S. Foreclosure Filings Up 53% YOY, Down 3% MOM
“California had seven of the 10 U.S. metro areas with the highest , including the top three. Stockton, in the state’s central valley, was first with one in every 72…
JustQuotes: Even The “Luxury Buyers” Have Started Spending Less…
“One of the last holdouts in consumer spending — luxury-goods purchases — may be collapsing under the weight of a sluggish and potentially contracting U.S. economy.” ∙ Saks Tailspin Indicates…
JustQuotes: A Proposed Retrofit Carrot For Soft-Story Building Owners
“ Newsom said he would introduce legislation at the Board of Supervisors meeting aimed at expediting the review of retrofit permits sought by owners of soft-story buildings and waive the…
JustQuotes: You Had Better Watch Your Fannie (As Well As Freddie)
“Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae plunged in New York trading and their credit-default swaps rose as concerns grew the two largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies may need to raise more capital…
They’re Not Building Any More Land Condos Across The Bay
“Oakland’s condo building boom has ground to a near halt. While construction has continued on existing projects, Patton said no new projects have broken ground during the first half of…
JustQuotes: The Fed Doesn’t Cut, Inflation Giving Reason To Raise?
“The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate at 2 percent, ending the most aggressive series of rate cuts in two decades, as higher energy costs threaten to boost inflation….Treasuries,…
JustQuotes: The Big (As In Jumbo) Difference Between Can And Are
“Three months after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac won the freedom to step up home-loan purchases, the government-chartered mortgage-finance companies are doing what critics in the Federal Reserve and Congress…
California Unemployment: We’re Still The Best (But The Bloom Is Off)
The unemployment rate in California jumped 0.6 perentage point in May to 6.8%, “the largest one-month increase since the state began keeping records in 1976.” The San Fransciso MSA, however,…