fraud

The first bank nationalization in German history is about to take place. At issue is Hypo Real Estate (HRE), a troubled Munich-based company that lends to commercial property developers and to build offices, hotels, roads, airports, you…

Last summer, as a number of sinister revelations were made about the goings-on in the financial services sector, I speculated that we would definitely see the government going after individual executives for illegal activities. I saw…

In November, the U.S. federal agencies which oversee the banking system proposed new guidelines for real estate appraisals. One would imagine that these guidelines would be in keeping with the new more stringent regulatory frame of mind…

When we have a major economic dislocation, there is always some aspect of criminal behavior involved. As a result, the governmental authorities look for specific companies and individuals to use as scapegoats for all of the ills of the…

I said last week that people were in the mood to get some of the dastardly perpetrators of this housing fiasco. Washington and law enforcement officials around the U.S. are listening to the anger of their constituents and acting by going…