Editor’s Note: I’d like to welcome new contributor Jonness to Seattle Bubble. He maintains the excellent set of tools at HousingCorrection.com and has provided an interesting analysis of housing data in his comments. – The Tim An article in the Seattle P-I indicates that our home sales slowed more than anywhere else in the nation….
Category: News
News, current events, etc.
Seattle Times: JPM to Cut ~70% of WaMu HQ Employees
Photo by Flickr user S x 2 According to today’s Seattle Times, JPMorgan Chase plans to cut around 70% of WaMu’s Seattle-area employees. JPMorgan is handing out layoff notices now and is expected to finish making decisions about all of WaMu’s 43,200 employees nationwide by Dec. 1. As many as 3,000 of WaMu’s 4,200 workers…
Washington Banks Hit With More Bad Loans
Kirsten Grind had an interesting piece about local banks in the Puget Sound Business Journal last Friday: Bad loans rising at Washington banks Bad loans are up dramatically at Washington state banks, surpassing the national average and reaching levels that local banking experts say are unprecedented. … Washington banks historically have seen lower levels of…
Are Reluctant Title Insurers Hampering the Market?
I received the following in an email from a reader: In August I found a brand new townhouse in a great location that is selling at about 5 or 10% below recent comps (and 15 to 25% off of what it would have gone for at peak). I still think I am going to end…
Highlights of the FHFA Streamlined Modification Program
Here are the basics of the latest mortgage bailout initiative from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that was announced today by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. To qualify, borrowers must: Have a loan owned or guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie. Owe 90% or more than the home is worth. Be 90 days or more behind…