Reason Foundation

Recent Research and Commentary

Loan Modification Program Isn't Stemming Foreclosures in Phoenix

July 12, 2009, 2:04pm

Leonard Gilroy

The President's loan modification program isn't working out very well thus far in the foreclosure-ridden Phoenix metro area.

Lending Standards Back to Bubble Era Levels

June 4, 2009, 11:57am

Anthony Randazzo

Low lending standards are a huge part of what got banks and mortgage companies into this mess. Why is the government aiding and abetting the continued practice?

A Concise, Modern History of U.S. Homeownership

May 10, 2009, 9:09am

Samuel Staley

Sephen Malanga has provided an excellent, accessible, and concise history of the trials and tribulations of U.S. housing policy and its effort to increase homeownership since the 1930s.

Banks and Mortgage Investors Battle in Congress

May 5, 2009, 2:30pm

Anthony Randazzo

Though the cramdown threat has been (temporarily) vanquished, there are still more issues Congress is facing that could skew the market. Senator Dick Durbin, who drove the lost fight for cramdowns, separated the measure from a larger bill that passed the House (HR 1106) that is aiming to redefine how the mortgage industry works. The "Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009" (now S.B. 896) also contains provisions that will protect mortgage lenders from being sued by investors for rewriting mortgage terms on their own--measures the Senate supported today.

Bipartisan Blame for Housing Crisis

May 2, 2009, 9:00am

Samuel Staley

Thomas Sowell's new book places the blame for the housing meltdown on Democrats and Republicans more intent on pursuing pre-conceived notions of homeownership than letting the market way the risks and tradeoffs.

Sacramento Homes Now Cost Less Than a Honda Accord

April 28, 2009, 3:55pm

Samuel Staley

In the post-bubble housing market, private investors are buying up foreclosed homes and turning coal into gold--affordably

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