Archive for August, 2007
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August 29th, 2007Thank you! JC $25 ON $20 AH $15
UNCONFIRMED – Internal Bank of America Memo on Subprime and Alt-A Loans
August 29th, 2007For your Not-News-to-Cryptogon-Readers file… The music has stopped and all the chairs are taken. Via: Calculated Risk: Bank of America’s RMBS Desk has a research note out (not publically available) that attempts to estimate the realistic refinance options, if any, for outstanding subprime ARMs that are facing reset in the immediate future. The analysis looks […]
Inside the Countrywide Swindle
August 28th, 2007Via: New York Times: ON its way to becoming the nation’s largest mortgage lender, the Countrywide Financial Corporation encouraged its sales force to court customers over the telephone with a seductive pitch that seldom varied. “I want to be sure you are getting the best loan possible,†the sales representatives would say. But providing “the […]
Witnesses in Army Trial Killed in Crash
August 28th, 2007Via: UPI: Several U.S. Army soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq last week were to be witnesses in the homicide trial of their former superior. Honolulu’s KITV reported Sunday that some of the soldiers who died in the crash had been scheduled to testify in the trial of Sgt. 1st Class Trey Corrales, […]
Sydney’s Ring of Steel Security Plan for APEC: “Madness”
August 27th, 2007Via: Australian Broadcasting Corporation: This Saturday, construction will start on a three-metre high, five-kilometre long fence in Sydney’s CBD to protect leaders attending next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. The fence will cause major traffic disruptions throughout the city and local workers and residents will have to go through special ID checks at access […]
Saudis Set Up 35,000 Strong Force to Guard Oil Infrastructure
August 27th, 2007Support the Troops! Via: Financial Times: Saudi Arabia has begun setting up a 35,000-strong security force to protect its oil infrastructure from potential attacks. The move underlines the kingdom’s growing concern about its oil installations after threats from al-Qaeda to attack facilities in the Gulf, as well as rising tensions between Iran and the US. […]
Fed Bends Rules to Help Citigroup and Bank of America
August 27th, 2007Via: CNN: In a clear sign that the credit crunch is still affecting the nation’s largest financial institutions, the Federal Reserve agreed this week to bend key banking regulations to help out Citigroup and Bank of America, according to documents posted Friday on the Fed’s web site. The Aug. 20 letters from the Fed to […]
Pentagon’s New Drug Weapons: “Calmatives”
August 26th, 2007It sounds like they’re looking for drugs to create more docile Americans. Will it make enemy forces want to watch TV and shop at WalMart, too? Via: Wired: In fact, it looks like the military are all set to start deploying a new generation of – well, as the report points out, they carefully avoid […]
Mystery Trader Bets Market Will Crash by a Third
August 26th, 2007Hedging or foreknowledge? Via: Financial News U.S.: An anonymous investor has placed a bet on an index of Europe’s top 50 stocks falling by a third by the end of September, as world equity markets plunged for a third day and volatility hit a three-year high. The mystery investor has bought put option contracts on […]
GOP Consultant, 2 Men Found Dead in Florida Home
August 26th, 2007So… What is it this time? More of the down home Republican family values? You know: Gay sex, man-boy love, narcotics trafficking, guns running, money laundering? In lieu of a Florida category on Cryptogon, please see madcowprod.com. Daniel Hopsicker hasn’t had a chance to cover this one yet, but he almost certainly will. Via: Guardian: […]
