It is THE AMERICAN DREAM, to own one’s home, work for a good living, build a profitable portfolio of investments for a successful retirement, grow the rose garden, nourish loving, obedient children, pay for their college education, keep some pets, have at least 2 cars in the garage, a family cell phone plan and a TV in every room of the house. OH YEAH? Sounds like a wonderful life indeed, but we Americans are no longer the innocent, cheerful consumers we’ve been for the last 40 years.
Sure, we’ve been through some tough times, like the oil embargoes of the 70s, Iran-Contra, genocidal wars, the stock market tumble of 1987; but we’ve never had to face the kind of sacrifice and suffering our present economic environment may force upon us. Eight short years ago our future seemed much different. As CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace reported in 2007, “President Clinton announced Wednesday that the federal budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 amounted to at least $230 billion, making it the largest in U.S. history and topping last year’s record surplus of $122.7 billion. ‘Eight years ago, our future was at risk,’ Clinton said Wednesday morning. ‘Economic growth was low, unemployment was high, interest rates were high, the federal debt had quadrupled in the previous 12 years. When Vice President Gore and I took office, the budget deficit was $290 billion, and it was projected this year the budget deficit would be $455 billion.’”
Now we are looking at a budget deficit of 10.2 trillion dollars - I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around that sum. What I understand is that the government keeps borrowing money from the taxpayers to fund this deficit and pay the phenomenal interest incurred with this debt.
We arrived at this point due to many factors, one of which is, of course, the sub-prime mortgage loans offered to citizens who did not understand the terms of the loans and who could not afford them in the first place. The thought of actually lending over $100,000.00 to a family that didn’t have a down payment and could not prove their income is absolute absurdity, yet it was done over and over through lending institutions like Countrywide, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and others. Many of these companies are receiving “bail-out” money from the Federal Reserve, but many others will go bankrupt.
The real travesty is the upheaval this has caused in millions of families across the nation who have lost their homes or are losing them now. They were convinced that “owning” their home was the way to achieve the “dream.” Did they realize by not putting any money down and agreeing to a variable APR that there be would no principal applied for years to come? Personally I’ve been paying on my mortgage for 3 years with a good fixed rate and having paid 15% down. I’m stuck with the PMI insurance of $30.00/month (needed if one doesn’t pay 20% down) plus the principal amount is only $162.00 with interest of $546.00. The principal increases slightly each month as the interest decreases, but as most veteran “homeowners” know, if one actually pays for the entire 30-year period on the loan, the price of the house will easily double, the profits going to the lender.
Personally I don’t make enough money to write off the huge interest payments, one of the benefits to “owning” a home, they say. I often think I would be better off renting, as then I wouldn’t have to pay for that broken water heater or the costly roof repair. I could more easily live within my means. Luckily I live in an area where home prices have not plunged, so at least my investment may increase over time. That is not the case with the poor people who have seen the value of their homes go below their purchased price and have even higher interest rates but salaries that stay flat, or jobs that have vanished.
We don’t “own” our homes. We are constantly purchasing our homes and paying exorbitant interest to banks and other institutions that have bought the loans.
When did our lending practices change? Steven Pearlstein from the Washington Post writes on March 14, 2007:
“It began years ago when Lewis Ranieri, an investment banker at the old Salomon Brothers, dreamed up the idea of buying mortgages from bank lenders, bundling them and issuing bonds with the bundles as collateral. The monthly payments from homeowners were used to pay interest on the bonds, and principal was repaid once all the mortgages had been paid down or refinanced.
Thanks to Ranieri and his successors, almost anyone can originate a mortgage loan — not just banks and big mortgage lenders, but any mortgage broker with a Web site and a phone. Some banks still keep the mortgages they write. But most other originators sell them to investment banks that package and “securitize” them. And because the originators make their money from fees and from selling the loans, they don’t have much at risk if borrowers can’t keep up with their payments. And therein lies the problem: an incentive structure that encourages originators to write risky loans, collect the big fees and let someone else suffer the consequences.”
There are a number of very risky practices that lenders offered unsuspecting buyers during these past times of unethical financing, also included in Steven Pearlstein’s article from the Post:
(a) The “balloon mortgage,” in which the borrower pays only interest for 10 years before a big lump-sum payment is due.
(b) The “liar loan,” in which the borrower is asked merely to state his annual income, without presenting any documentation.
(c) The “option ARM” loan, in which the borrower can pay less than the agreed-upon interest and principal payment, simply by adding to the outstanding balance of the loan.
(d) The “piggyback loan,” in which a combination of a first and second mortgage eliminates the need for any down payment.
(e) The “teaser loan,” which qualifies a borrower for a loan based on an artificially low initial interest rate, even though he or she doesn’t have sufficient income to make the monthly payments when the interest rate is reset in two years.
(f) The “stretch loan,” in which the borrower has to commit more than 50 percent of gross income to make the monthly payments.
It is no wonder our financial institutions are collapsing and the American Dream is being shattered. With so many foreclosed homes glutting the market, it is not likely to revive any time soon. With so many families losing their homes, jobs and hope, the solution to these woes seems ever distant. Nothing less than a complete reformation of our money systems and moral values will provide a meaningful way out of this mess. It is shameful, and in my opinion criminal, that big corporations like AIG continue to flaunt their extreme greed by indulging in extravagant “bonus” trips for their executives. Our global economy is at a precipice - we all wait and watch as our fate unfolds in the hands of our illustrious leaders. May the Force be with them!
I am a freelance artist and entrepreneur greatly concerned with the runaway economy and ruthless actions taken by the greedy, selfish and manipulative financiers of this nation and the World. We must understand the problems before we can find solutions. This is a difficult task, as the problems are entrenched in corporate and federal secretive actions. As consumers and citizens it is our obligation to promote and support effective reform. Here is a link to a video that describes the problems and offers solutions that could really change our world for the better. http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
If you’d like to take a break from all this crazy financial news, please visit my gift site and purchase something for yourself or others. http://www.gratitude-gifts.com - You’ll also find free gifts and insightful thoughts - and reasons to remain grateful in light of so much grief.