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Attorney General of N.Y. Is Said to Face Pressure on Bank Foreclosure Deal

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Hawkowl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 12:04 AM
Original message
Attorney General of N.Y. Is Said to Face Pressure on Bank Foreclosure Deal
"Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, has come under increasing pressure from the Obama administration to drop his opposition to a wide-ranging state settlement with banks over dubious foreclosure practices, according to people briefed on discussions about the deal...."

Mr. Schneiderman and top prosecutors in some other states have objected to the proposed settlement with major banks, saying it would restrict their ability to investigate and prosecute wrongdoing in a variety of areas, including the bundling of loans in mortgage securities....

“The attorney general remains concerned by any attempt at a global settlement that would shut down ongoing investigations of wrongdoing related to the mortgage crisis,” said Danny Kanner, the spokesman for Mr. Schneiderman. His office has opened several inquiries into mortgage practices during the credit boom. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/business/schneiderman-is-said-to-face-pressure-to-back-bank-deal.html?_r=1&hp
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KT2000 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 12:56 AM
Response to Original message
1. this is sickening
why can't our Democratic administration side with what is right. They are absolutely tone deaf.
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Skittles Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 04:03 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. complicit is the correct word
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KT2000 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 12:09 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. yes - I'm afraid so n/t
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enough Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 08:57 AM
Response to Original message
3. Naked Capitalism has a scathing analysis of the Obama administration's role in this.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/corrupt-obama-administration-pressuring-new-york-attorney-general-to-support-mortgage-whitewash.html

Monday, August 22, 2011
Corrupt Obama Administration Pressuring New York Attorney General to Support Mortgage Whitewash

It is high time to describe the Obama Administration by its proper name: corrupt.

Admittedly, corruption among our elites generally and in Washington in particular has become so widespread and blatant as to fall into the “dog bites man” category. But the nauseating gap between the Administration’s propaganda and the many and varied ways it sells out average Americans on behalf of its favored backers, in this case the too big to fail banks, has become so noisome that it has become impossible to ignore the fetid smell.

The Administration has now taken to pressuring parties that are not part of the machinery reporting to the President to fall in and do his bidding. We’ve gotten so used to the US attorney general being conveniently missing in action that we have forgotten that regulators and the AG are supposed to be independent. As one correspondent noted by e-mail, “When officials allegiances are to El Supremo rather than the Constitution, you walk the path to fascism.”

Revealingly, one of the Administration’s allies said: “Wall Street is our Main Street.” And the worst is that this remark may not be a cynical Ministry of Truth pronouncement. Team Obama bears all the hallmarks of being so close to banks and big corporations that it has lost all contact with and understanding of mainstream America.

The latest example is its heavy-handed campaign to convert New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman to a card carrying member of the “be nice to our lords and masters the banksters” club. Schneiderman was the first to take issue with the sham of the so-called 50 state attorney general mortgage settlement. As far as the Administration is concerned, its goal is to give banks a talking point and prove to them that Team Obama is protecting their backs in a way that the chump public hopefully won’t notice.

much more>
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ProSense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-22-11 09:23 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. "It is high time to describe the Obama Administration by its proper name: corrupt."
Edited on Mon Aug-22-11 09:27 AM by ProSense
Utterly absurd.

From the OP article.

<...>

In an interview on Friday, Mr. Donovan defended his discussions with the attorney general, saying they were motivated by a desire to speed up help for troubled homeowners. But he said he had not spoken to bank officials or their representatives about trying to persuade Mr. Schneiderman to get on board with the deal.

“Eric and I agree on a tremendous amount here,” Mr. Donovan said. “The disagreement is around whether we should wait to settle and resolve the issues around the servicing practices for him — and potentially other A.G.’s and other federal agencies — to complete investigations on the securitization side. He might argue that he has more leverage that way, but our view is we have the immediate opportunity to help a huge number of borrowers to stay in their homes, to help their neighborhoods and the housing market.”

And Alisa Finelli, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department. said: “The Justice Department, along with our federal agency partners and state attorneys general, are committed to achieving a resolution that will hold servicers accountable for the harm they have done consumers and bring billions of dollars of relief to struggling homeowners — and bring relief swiftly because homeowners continue to suffer more each day that these issues are not resolved.”

<...>


That is sort of in conflict with the rumor factor of the article. Still, it's clear that if the AGs don't agree, there will be no deal.

Yves Smith spends all her time spinning corruption out of MSM articles and anti-Obama blog posts. The basic premise is to give the impression that the admistration is doing nothing about the financial fraud that led to the crisis.

Foreclosure Talks Snag on Bank Liability

<...>

U.S. and state officials dismissed the push for broad immunity as a "nonstarter," according to a federal official involved in the talks, but they have countered with a narrower offer. It would cover robo-signing and other servicer-related conduct but leave banks open to potential legal action for wrongdoing in fair lending and securitization, according to people familiar with the situation. Attorneys general in California, Delaware, Massachusetts and New York have said they are investigating mortgage-securitization practices.

<...>

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said she is "going to be very cautious" about any release that could affect investigations or litigation. Ms. Masto has alleged that Bank of America violated the law in its handling of troubled loans. "A broad release isn't going to do … any good (for me) or the people of my state."

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley recently said she won't let banks escape potential legal liability for claims related to securitization and use of the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems "until we know all the facts and all of the damage." Doing otherwise "is like buying a used car without looking under the hood. There's a good chance you will get a lemon."

<...>

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden has also begun investigating securitization and other mortgage-industry practices. "We would oppose any settlement that would release claims broader than servicing conduct," says Delaware Deputy Attorney General Ian McConnel."That would include origination, securitization and (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems) claims."

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Supersedeas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-23-11 10:08 AM
Response to Reply #3
6. thanks for the link
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woo me with science Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-23-11 12:25 PM
Response to Original message
7. K&R
Disgusting.
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