The Timeline Project

various ^ | 30-SEP-2008 | George Smiley

[George Smiley]

Let's collaboratively build a timeline of this disaster, starting with when these agencies were formed, tracking the legislation that was not only passed, but proposed, and quotes from who supported and opposed it.

PLEASE INCLUDE URLs so we can link to sources.

Here's a start.

1938 Fannie Mae, or the Federal National Mortgage Association, was founded in 1938. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode12/usc_sup_01_12_10_13_20_III.html

1954 1954 Charter Act

1968 1968 Charter Act

1970 Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, was established in 1970

1989 Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989

1990, James A. Johnson went to work for Fannie Mae as the CEO and quickly became its $5 million-a-year chairman. His compensation rose to a reported $21 million by his final year, 1998.

1992 The Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 Pub. L. No. 102-550, 1311, 106 Stat. 3941, 3944 (Oct. 28, 1992) codified at 12 U.S.C. 4511.

OFHEO was established by the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act). [1] The act gives OFHEO oversight responsibilities over two government-sponsored enterprises, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the enterprises), to ensure their capital adequacy and financial safety and soundness. 12 U.S.C. 4513. Among OFHEOs duties are to conduct annual on-site examinations of the enterprises, to conduct enforcement proceedings and take enforcement actions. 12 U.S.C. 4517, 4631, 4636.

1995 In 1995, President Bill Clinton's HUD agreed to let Fannie and Freddie get affordable-housing credit for buying subprime securities that included loans to low-income borrowers. The idea was that subprime lending benefited many borrowers who did not qualify for conventional loans. HUD expected that Freddie and Fannie would impose their high lending standards on subprime lenders.

1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999

2001 Superior Bank of Chicago went belly up in 2001 with over $1 billion in insured and uninsured deposits. This collapse came amid harsh criticism of how Superiors owners promoted sub-prime home mortgages. Penny Pritzker

2005 FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM ACT OF 2005

Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA)

Back on January 26, 2005 McCain cosponsored and introduced the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act (S.190) to regulate Government-sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

2006 On May 25, 2006 McCain addressed the Senate:

Quote: Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.

2007 BAPCPA "is directly responsible for the rising foreclosure rate since the end of 2005," concluded a 2007 study by Credit Suisse.

2008 BAPCPA "is directly responsible for the rising foreclosure rate since the end of 2005," concluded a 2007 study by Credit Suisse. The law "increased foreclosures and the number of homes for sale," echoed a July 2008 study by U.S. Treasury researcher David Bernstein. That study estimated the law had pushed foreclosures or forced sales on 200,000 homeowners since it went into effect.

[ForGod'sSake]

Hmmmm. I’m trying to open that ppt with a Power Point Viewer and it will show a pic or two and no text. Same story with a pps extension I found on the web. Thoughts?

[George Smiley]

You have to keep left clicking the page.

Text slides on; picture slide on, and so forth.

[ForGod'sSake]

You have to keep left clicking the page.

Did that. It actually moves through the various frames but NO text, one pic and several pic placemarkers. I'll figger something out.

[George Smiley]

Mouse over the BODY of the page, not on forward/back arrows.

[ForGod'sSake]

More grist for the mill?

Investment Banks Provided Subprime Lenders with Critical Funding

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Bill O’Reilly ‘smacks’ Barney Frank for helping cause crisis [FoxNews interview smackdown]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096225/posts

[ForGod'sSake]

Bill O’Reilly ‘smacks’ Barney Frank for helping cause crisis

I was watching when BOR took Bawney Fwank to the woodshed. Not sure what set Bill off but he came unwound in a hurry. Bawney was left sputtering and drooling on his tie.

I'm not a big fan of Dick Morris and I missed the live broadcast of him backhanding Colmes, but the video is a hoot:

Dick Morris Declares Palin The New Reagan And Slaps Colmes (youtube video link)

I really need to get some sleep!

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Democrat fingerprints are all over the financial crisis
3 Oct 2008 | Dominic Lawson

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2096574/posts?page=1

[Independent — UK]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

My mouse can outclick your’s, and it isn’t even a lazer mouse. [Just had to say it.]

[George Smiley]

I have an Acme™ Hypersonic Nuclear-Powered Mouse.

Weighs fifty pounds, but it's fast as hell once you get it moving.

Newton's Law and all that.

[ForGod'sSake]

Interesting graph HERE

Note the change in 2007. What's that about?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

[Well I gotta’ mouse so powerful, I can’t even put its tail in my PC!]

Now to get serious:

ARCHIVE: (Franklin Raines) RAINING MONEY - he will be paid $3,831.10 everyday for life

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2086744/posts?page=1

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

If I were not a Christian man, I’d say:

“For God’s sake, ForGod’sSake!”

[Just kidding. I’m not even going to that page. My mouse is scared.]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Maybe your mouse can handle this. [Mine won’t go. I’m ‘text only’.]

“New GOP ad lowers the boom on Dems over subprime disaster”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2096980/posts?page=1

[ForGod'sSake]

“For God’s sake, ForGod’sSake!”

Heh.

Another article of interest-------> ANATOMY OF THE CRISIS.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Surfer’s independent summary:

Freddie and Fannie compilation of history and facts (VANITY)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2097789/posts?page=1

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

New York Times:

Pressured to take more risk, Fannie hit a tipping point

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2097902/posts?page=1

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

The Timeline is still plodding forward:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2097905/posts?page=1

Germany’s HRE says rescue [Bailout] collapsed(German mortgage giant could go down)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Even Alec Baldwin gets it now:

Alec Baldwin Points Fingers at Barney Frank & Democrats for Fiscal Crisis

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2097909/posts?q=1&;page=51

Maybe others wish to continue. Once someone like Baldwin gets it, I think my work on this thread is done. FRegards ....

[floriduh voter]

Yeah, after that messy divorce, Baldwin understands the value of a dollar. Our dollars. And, let’s face it. The taxpayers are not initially funding the bailout. IT’S THE CHICOMS, ET AL.