Much is hazy about the Dodd-Frank bill, even though it has passed. Will the goals of the reform bill really be met? On July 15, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed 60-39 in the Senate. Next week, President Obama is expected to sign it into law.1 “Because of this reform, the [...]

Why the crisis has Wall Street stressed. It would be wonderful if the U.S. financial markets could “decouple” themselves from what is going on in Greece, Portugal and Spain. Unfortunately, the debt situation in these countries is like a ripple in a pond. The question is, how strong will the ripple ultimately be and will [...]

How will this impact the real estate market? The Fed pulls out of the mortgage market. On March 31, 2010, the Federal Reserve halted its 15-month-long program to buy up toxic mortgage-linked securities.1 Of all the things the Fed did to try and heal the economy and financial markets, this may have been its most [...]