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Tag Archives: IMF

Analysts Say Government Should Continue ‘Significant’ Role in Housing

Ideally, the government should back up to 35 percent of all new mortgages, according to the median response given in a recent Zillow survey which polled 108 economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists. The government currently backs about 90 percent of all new mortgages. The last time the government held a 35 percent share of new originations was in 2006 at the height of the housing bubble.

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Head of IMF Calls for Principal Reductions for American Homeowners

The head of one of the world's most powerful financial policy bodies has tossed her hat into the debate over mortgage principal reductions. Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says ""the housing problem in the U.S. is something that needs to be addressed"" and it is ""a matter of urgency."" Lagarde tipped her hat in favor of the administration's proposal of principal reductions, but said the problem is that ""the big boys and girls - Fannie and Freddie - have to be part of that equation.""

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Study Links ‘Lightly Regulated’ Lending to Foreclosures, Unemployment

A recent study by Jihad C. Dagher and Ning Fu of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) found a correlation between the increase in originations from ""lightly regulated"" non-bank lenders and the rise in foreclosures and unemployment in the United States. The authors believe stricter regulation of non-bank mortgage originators could have prevented the housing crisis altogether or at least averted some of the volatility seen in the current housing environment.

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International Monetary Fund Voices Concerns With U.S. Housing System

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has some pretty direct words for the American government and its handling of the U.S. housing crisis. In an annual report that will be released next week, IMF says the origins of the global financial crisis can be found in the U.S. housing finance system. The agency says government participation in the U.S. housing market has been ""pervasive"" but has not yielded the expected benefits to prospective or existing homeowners.

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