Foreclosures Reach New High in April 2009

According to this Inman News article, Foreclosures plateau at new high, RealtyTrac data indicated that foreclosures in April 2009 increased by less than 1% from March 2009, which was the previous high. However, this represents a 32% increase over April 2008. According to the folks at RealtyTrac the recent March-April surge in foreclosures is due to the previous moratoria on foreclosures expiring. I believe that due to the declining economy foreclosures will continue to increase for the foreseeable future.

Birmingham Auction Ended Abruptly After Too Many "Low Bids"

According this article in The Birmingham News, City Federal auction ends abruptly due to low bids, the auction was originally scheduled to sell off 20 condo units, but was stopped after only 11 sold due to what the condo project owners, Synergy Realty Services LLC, called "low bids". Condos that once were listed for $239,000 to $935,000 ended up selling for only $80,000 to $320,000. The project owners said they were disappointed by the low prices, but would try to re-market the remaining condos at pre-auction prices.

My opinion is that these people are fools. There is no other market for these condos. $935,000 for a condo in Birmingham? Sorry, it makes no sense. That market is long gone and never coming back. It was a sham built upon a mountain of debt that is no longer available. The condo project owners should liquidate for whatever they can get as it is only going to get worse.

"Stress Tests a Sham"; Banks Have $2 Trillion Dollar Hole While Credit Card and Commercial Real Estate Loan Defaults Soar

According to this interview with William Black, a former bank regulator, author and current law and economics professor at the University of Missouri, the "Stress Tests" are a "sham"and US banks need $2 trillion dollars to remain solvent. Since he directly attributes this figure to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner I am guessing that the real number is much higher since according to Mr. Black the "stress tests" do not factor in bank reserves or asset quality (i.e. the increasing defaults on all types of loans including credit cards and commercial real estate loans). Additionally, Mr. Black states that commercial real estate is in for a "world of hurt". As I stated previously, there is going to be a surge in the number of foreclosures hitting the market as banks fail and are forced to finally liquidate the foreclosures they have artifically been holding back and most of the large banks in the US are already insolvent and will need to be nationalized soon.

Don't Believe the "Good News Bulls"

According to this New York Times article, U.S. Says Ailing Banks Need $75 Billion, US Banks need $75 Billion in additional capital in order to pass the government stress tests and this is good news!?  First, it is not good news.  It means that US banks need a lot of additional capital.  Second, it is not even accurate.  According to Gary Shilling we should not be trusting the rosy government reports as they are really meant as a PR piece then they are a measure of the banks' financial condition.  I agree.  The government stress tests are a joke.  Regardless of these phony stress tests most large US Banks are insolvent.

Commercial Real Estate Loan Defaults Will Sink Big Banks

I have read many articles that are stating facts that the mainstream media is not covering.  The most important one is that commercial real estate loans are defaulting at an alarming rate.  While the mainstream media continues to debate whether or not the residential housing bust has reached it bottom they continue to ignore the greater problem of bad commercial real estate loans.  My prediction is that the commercial real estate loan defaults will finish the bank killing that the residential bubble bursting started.  I believe that most, if not all, of the major national banks (think Wachovia, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc.) will need to be nationalized within 12 months.

The expected massive bank failures will further curtail lending (including home mortgages) and result in further softening of home prices, particularly in over-built areas of the US.

Duplicating Disaster: A Lesson Not Learned

According to this New York Times article, Sweetening the Pot for Home Buyers, the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit for first time home buyers created by the Obama administration will not have much of an impact (I believe I told you this previously) due to most first time buyers not having enough money for a down payment and to cover closing costs.  The article trumpets a Missouri plan that allows home buyers to borrow that $8,000 to buy that home and then to repay it when they receive the tax credit.  In my opinion, this is a recipe for more disaster.  The problem was and is that TOO MANY FINANCIALLY UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE PURCHASED HOMES.  Offering this "loan" will only exacerbate the problem.  If a person cannot find a way to save $8,000 to buy a home then they should not be buying a home.  What happens when the roof leaks, or heating system needs replacement, etc.?  These "home buyers" do not save money, they spend.  That is why they could not even put together a measly sum like $8,000 to buy a home.  The problem is that we have turned owning a home from a privilege into an entitlement.  When will we learn!?

My prediction is that if this Missouri program gains traction we will see increased rates of foreclosures for these "home buyers".

Foreclosures Increase as Banks Start to End Voluntary Foreclosure Abatements

According to this Ritholtz.com article, Voluntary Foreclosure Abatements Ending, banks are starting to end their volunatry foreclosure abatements due to the increasing number of delinquent loans piling up.  This is after the banks have changed the definition of a delinquent loan from 60 days to 120 days and even 180 days.  Per my previous post, the banks are trying to make things appear better than they are.  Mark my words, it will fail.