It's always great to see the stock market come back from the dead. But I am deeply worried that our political system doesn't grasp how much our financial crisis can still undermine everything we want to be as a country. ...more

March 13, 2009

The American creed is to be honest in all your dealings. And if you can fake that, you've got it made. ...more

February 13, 2009

Since the subprime mortgage troubles exploded into a full-blown financial crisis last year, the three top credit-rating agencies - Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings - have faced a firestorm of criticism about whether their rosy ratings of mortgage securities generated billions of dollars in losses to investors who relied on them. ...more

December 20, 2008

When federal regulators start writing new rules for financial institutions next year, they should demand big changes in how bankers and traders are paid. ...more

September 13, 2008

The county commission is scheduled to hold a hearing on Aug 5 on the reduction of current impact fees by 25 percent for a minimum of 18 months, in order to share in the $20 million state affordable housing fund for first-time home buyers. While this measure is being praised by institutions with ties to the housing industry and it appears by Commissioner Russell's comments on July 15 in the Hernando Today that he agrees, there are numerous things they are not talking about. ...more

July 23, 2008

The best offense is a good defense. As I mull over the billions of tax dollars being spent to clean up the subprime mortgage mess, I keep thinking there must be a better way to put those financial resources to work. ...more

June 29, 2008

A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism Wednesday, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year. ...more

May 8, 2008

TAMPA -- A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism today, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year. Home sales and prices, which have been battered in recent months, should stabilize and then begin to rise in 2009, predicted Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors. ...more

May 7, 2008

You won't hear the R-word much in the modest governor's mansion in Helena, Mont. ...more

February 24, 2008

Regulators are trying to punish Wall Street for mortgage finance practices that not only expanded home ownership and spread risk among a host of new players - but also may have duped borrowers and investors who supplied cash to fuel a housing boom that has turned bust. ...more

February 19, 2008