Category: Uncategorized

The subprime lenders that worked: Part 1, who

29 May, 2007 (11:10) | Uncategorized |

 

Amid all the stories about the subprime sector’s troubles,

Gloom! Doom! Film at eleven!

a remarkable finding — a whole group of subprime lenders whose loans have done well — has gone largely and curiously unnoticed.
 

I’m modest about my accomplishments

Who are these heroes? As presented in this Standard and Poor’s [...]

To each according to its need: local taxes and revenue sharing

28 May, 2007 (08:45) | Uncategorized |

After mortgage payments, a homeowner’s second largest expense is real estate taxes, which under real estate taxes basic budget algebra, form the biggest slice of the local-government revenue pie, which pays for local services including public schools.  Localities thus have a very direct link between the value of their homes and the quality of their [...]

As a town dies

25 May, 2007 (10:07) | Uncategorized |

Throughout history, cities have been where wealth was created, ideas were born, businesses blossomed, and revolutions started.  Cities exist for their connections of people to people, and as we have seen in posts on local real estate taxes, they too are economic organisms, whose ability to provide services and amenities to their inhabitants depends in [...]

Condo hotel: I do declare! Part 3, the dodges

24 May, 2007 (10:27) | Uncategorized |

[Continued from yesterday's Part 2.]

In Part 1 of my idle speculative exploration of the Trump SoHo’s Restrictive Declaration we heard the property’s critics complaining that:

“The restrictive declaration is a sham, a fig leaf designed to cover up the obscene decision of allowing this monstrosity where the law clearly prohibits it,” said Andrew Berman, executive [...]

Condo hotel: I do declare! Part 2, the others

23 May, 2007 (09:48) | Uncategorized |

[Continued from yesterday's Part 1.]

In Part 1 of my idle speculative exploration of the Restrictive Declaration for Trump SoHo’s hotel condominium, we heard the property’s critics complaining that:

“The restrictive declaration is a sham, a fig leaf designed to cover up the obscene decision of allowing this monstrosity where the law clearly prohibits it,” [...]