Matt Taibbi: Bank of America ‘Too Crooked to Fail’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 22, 2012 Rolling Stone reporter Matt Taibbi joins "Democracy Now!" to discuss the dual history of Bank of America and the deregulation of banking ownership in the United States and to expose the holes in the $26 billion settlement deal that President Obama said would provide relief for American homeowners. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Best, Most Revealing Reporting on the Foreclosure Crisis

By Blair Hickman, ProPublica Feb 18, 2012 The U.S. housing crisis has been going on nearly five years, with still regular revelations about misdeeds by banks and others. Here’s ProPublica's roundup of standout reporting on the crisis. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Banks, Gov’t Strike $25B Deal in Foreclosure Fraud Settlement

Staff / Truthdig Feb 9, 2012 On Thursday, state and federal government representatives announced that five major banks -- Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Ally Financial, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase -- had agreed to pay their part in a settlement of more than $25 billion stemming from the mortgage market meltdown that caused millions of Americans to lose their homes.On Thursday, state and federal government representatives announced that five major banks had agreed to pay their part in a settlement of more than $25 billion stemming from the mortgage market meltdown. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Meet the Obscure Federal Regulator Who’s Not Helping Homeowners

By Cora Currier, ProPublica Feb 8, 2012 Fannie and Freddie are required to help homeowners while earning profits so they can pay back the taxpayers who bailed them out. Here is our guide to the little-known federal regulator, Edward DeMarco, ultimately in charge of the two companies. You may have never heard of him, but as The Washington Post put it, he’s “the most powerful man in housing policy.” Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama’s Faux Populism Sounds Like Bill Clinton

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jan 26, 2012 I get angry because betrayal by the “good guys” for whom I have ended up voting has become the norm. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Obama’s Late Payment to Mortgage-Fraud Victims

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jan 26, 2012 In his State of the Union address, many heard echoes of the Barack Obama of old, the presidential aspirant of 2007 and 2008. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Gazillions

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Jan 23, 2012 Dig deeper

Surging Foreclosures Benefit Home Investors

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2012 A sunken housing market has turned foreclosure auctions into feeding grounds for the vultures of American capitalism. Low prices mean plenty of available buildings to be bought, fixed up and sold at a profit. Meanwhile, suffering evictees are nowhere to be seen, except for the rare occasions when they show up to protest or bid on the homes themselves. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Truthdiggers of the Week: Indiana University Poverty Researchers

Staff / Truthdig Jan 13, 2012 Here's a sobering dose of reality: Poverty in America has risen to the 27 percent mark in the last half-decade and, perhaps worse, the prospects for our nation's poorest won't necessarily get better as the economy picks up. It's not news many want to hear, but we're glad a group of researchers at Indiana University were gutsy enough to release it. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Vacant Houses Outnumber Homeless People in U.S.

Staff / Truthdig Jan 1, 2012 There are more than five times as many vacant homes in the US as there are homeless people, according to Amnesty International USA Since 2007, banks have shuttered about 8 million American houses, almost doubling the previous number, while 35 million homeless shiver in the coldSince 2007, banks have shuttered about 8 million American houses, almost doubling the previous number, while 3. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Occupy Our Homes Makes a Move

Staff / Truthdig Dec 10, 2011 The Occupy Our Homes campaign kicked off last Tuesday when hundreds of people, including activists, neighborhood residents and a couple of City Council members, marched through a neglected Brooklyn neighborhood to open a foreclosed house to a homeless family. Last Tuesday, Occupy Wall Street moved Alfredo Carrasquillo and his family into a vacant home in Brooklyn. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Occupy Movement’s Next Frontier

Staff / Truthdig Dec 7, 2011 Those critics of Occupy Wall Street who claimed the movement lacked direction might look to foreclosed homes around the country, as well as housing auctions at select banks, where activists turned up Tuesday as part of the Occupy Our Homes initiative. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )