Obama’s Mortgage Crisis Working Group Falls Short Of Billing
WASHINGTON — Hours before last year’s State of the Union address, the Obama administration offered The Huffington Post an exclusive. During his speech, President Barack Obama would announce a new law enforcement unit aimed at exposing and prosecuting financial fraud behind the housing crisis. The unit would be co-chaired by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a progressive champion who’d been pressuring the White House to get tougher on banks.
“This is a big achievement and something the entire progressive advocacy community wanted [with respect to] housing policy,” a White House official said back then.
A year later, progressives said they consider the panel a disappointment and, possibly, a diversion to placate Schneiderman and homeowner advocates. The Justice Department said it doesn’t know what the fuss is about.
“You described it as a unit that was announced to great fanfare,” said Tony West, the number three man in the Justice Department, in an interview. “A lot of people have the misimpression that this is some type of prosecutorial department that was set up. What the working group is is exactly that. It is part of the financial fraud enforcement task force. It doesn’t stand alone.”
Rest here…
~
Judge rejects Wells Fargo bid to escape mortgage suit
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-judge-rejects-wells-fargo-bid-to-escape-mortgage-suit-20130212,0,5618974.story.
This year he argues for extending credit to more borrowers and helping “responsible” homeowners refinance. In other words, let’s blow another bubble and don’t even mention the disasters that are still unfolding from the previous collapse, as well as the nearly complete immunity given to the perpetrators.