Why is the media so fixated on mortgage holders? More concerning is how much power the Big Four banks now hold over the economy, and how SMEs are struggling to get finance.
Mortgages
revealed 
Goldman Sachs secretly banked on the US housing crash
How did Goldman Sachs emerge from the financial crisis in such good shape? By simultaneously selling more than $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities, while secretly betting that the US housing market would crash.
No more nights out for British mortgage owners
Fancying a smoke, a drink or three, or a night at the cinema could all rule you out of getting a mortgage under tough new proposed rules in Britain from the country’s financial regulator, the FSA.
WSJ weighs in with "Aussie Mac" in the making
The Wall Street Journal has thrown its weight behind an Aussie Mac in the making, writes Joshua Gans. Should Australia review its financial regulations in light of future GFCs?
What the GFC failed to teach Wayne Swan
When Washington meddled in the mortgage market, the end result was the Global Financial Crisis. So why is the Rudd government continuing to invest in housing finance — and putting taxpayers at risk?
A super way to open up the mortgage sector
Commonwealth Bank and Westpac and their subsidiaries now control over 85% of all new mortgages. Adam Barker suggests a way to break the banks’ stranglehold.
Why home loan rates will increase
Lenders are finding it difficult to maintain the current low prices despite the inflow of deposits that helps them to fund mortgages, says Danny John. It’s why CommBank lifted its home loan rates — and others will follow.
Doom and gloom: More bad news from US and UK
The flow of niggling economic news show no sign of slowing despite the bright start to the second quarter on US markets, writes Glenn Dyer.
Four Corners didn’t pursue the full debt story
Last night Four Corners had a story called Debtland which looked at the rise in personal debt in this country. There are a number of points missed that could have added to the story which attracted 1.009 million viewers, writes Glenn Dyer.
PM’s startling economic promise: lower wages
In case you’ve missed it, John Howard wants you to vote for him because he promises wages will be lower under a coalition government than under Labor, writes Michael Pascoe.
How many problem home loans are there in Australia?
There is a view that there is some sort of problem with repossessions and foreclosures of homes in Sydney and by extrapolation, the rest of Australia. There isn’t, writes Glenn Dyer.
