Following yesterday’s announcement of sweeping financial reform from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, here’s a good fact sheet summarizing key provisions of the full bill. Worthwhile read for anyone who’s tired of trying to decode healthcare bills. This financial bill isn’t as grey as healthcare bills, but passing it will be an equally tough [...]

Thought the healthcare debate was big in 2009? It looks like 2010′s financial regulatory reform debate could be bigger. The House today passed a bill (vote: 223-to-202) authored largely by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank that will now be debated and reconciled with a Senate bill over the coming months with an eye [...]

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke will be up for Congressional re-confirmation on December 3. Below is what Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee had to say about it in August, and also what other Senators are saying on both sides of the aisle. The problem with politicians is that they’re subject to election cycles [...]

In his March Investment Outlook, Bill Gross head of PIMCO, the world’s largest bond manager, does a mock Q&A as though he was testifying before Congress about the financial crisis, its origins, how long it will last, what needs to be done with the banks, and where people should invest their money. Required reading. Below [...]

FHA vs CONFORMING LOAN PRICING Loan agents often have trouble explaining to clients why why pricing on FHA loans (which are often securitized in Ginnie Mae pools) is different than conforming conventional loans. Looking at the basic security marketing pricing, Ginnie Mae securities have a better price than Fannie Mae securities, given the same coupon. [...]

Below is a Q&A on the Senate Housing Bill from the economic research team at Goldman Sachs. +++++++++++++++++