Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

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• The Great Depression
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• What's the No. 1 reason for foreclosure?
• How Stocks and the Stock Market Work

More Great Links

• This American Life's "Giant Pool of Money"
• HUD Help for Homeowners Facing Foreclosure
• SEC on Mortgage-Backed Securities

Sources

• Farrell, Greg. "JPMorgan gets Bear Stearns for a bargain-basement $236M." USA Today. March 17, 2008.
  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2008-03-16-jpmorgan-bearsterns_N.htm
• Locke, Tom. "Foreclosure rates up, but national numbers better." Denver Business Journal. March 25, 2005.
  http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/03/28/story2.html
• Isidore, Chris. "Housing slowdown continued in August." CNN Money. September 25, 2006.
  http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/25/news/economy/homesales2/index.htm
• Thompson, Boyce. "Foreclosures peaked?" Builder. September 26, 2008.
  http://www.builderonline.com/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=thompsonsblog&postId=85200
• Wagonner, John and Krantz, Matt. "Pricing mortgage-backed securities will be tough." USA Today. September 23, 2008.
  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2008-09-23-toxic-paper-bailout_N.htm
• Wilson, Chris. "What are mortgage-backed securities, anyway?" Slate. March 17, 2008.
  http://www.slate.com/id/2186801/
• Zibel, Alan. "New home sales skid, while mortgage rates jump." Associated Press. September 25, 2008.
  http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/09/25/ap5472816.html
• "Brothers admit to million-dollar mortgage fraud." Associated Press. September 25, 2008.
  http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/09/25/ap5469775.html
• "Consumer handbook on adjustable rate mortgages." Federal Reserve Bank. May 17, 2007.
  http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/arms/arms_english.htm#paymentshock
• "Foreclosure activity increases 12 percent in August." RealtyTrac. September 12, 2008.
  http://www.realtytrac.com/ContentManagement/pressrelease.aspx?ChannelID=9&ItemID=5163&accnt=64847
• "Freddie Mac mortgage portfolio drops at record pace." Reuters. September 26,
  http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080926-1118-freddiemac-portfolio.html
• "Median and average sales prices of new homes sold in United States." U.S. Census Bureau.
  http://www.census.gov/const/uspricemon.pdf
• "Mortgage-backed securities." U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  http://www.sec.gov/answers/mortgagesecurities.htm
• "No Income/No Asset mortgage (NINA)." Investopedia.
  http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/nina.asp
• "355: Giant pool of money." This American Life/Chicago Public Radio. May 9, 2008.
  http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1242