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[A129]About The Credit Crunch
by Tom Tessin, Tom

We are in an economic crisis today. The mortgage lending rates are hurting and loans to consumers are now being shortened. Many major companies are afraid to let out much more credit. This can send us spiraling into a deep depression if we are not careful. The interest rates from credit card companies are getting very high. In order to compensate from the loses credit card companies find that they must charge us more fees and higher interest to compensate from those who are not able to pay back what they have borrowed. The employment rate is terrible with many being jobless. Lack of work, high interest rates is all overpowering effects on the economy.

What can you as a consumer do to help remedy this situation? First take a check on your own spending habits. Make a strict budget and stick to it. Also start a savings plan that you can use in case of the possibility that you might lose your job. Then you should pay off your credit cards and not use them unless it is a real emergency. When you do use your credit card make sure to pay it off in the months time allotted to you as a borrower. Do not open up multiple credit card accounts causing you too lose money in interest and fees. Be smart shop wisely. You can buy things at a much cheaper rate if you shop around to find bargains. We need to get back to the original pay as you go method that made our nation the great country that it is today.

The government is trying to bail us out by giving us some extra money in our economy. This is great idea if we use that money wisely. We cannot use that money to make more debts but instead use the money to pay the debts that you already own. You can also use the money for basic living expenditures but this is just a band aid not a fix in our economy. We need to work together to help mend the economy if we want to get back on easy street. We should look to our own nation when it comes to buying products. Buy American products in order to help the American worker. We may find that foreign products are cheaper but not in the long run if you find that we are unemployed with no money to spend then buying American is cheaper and wiser. Our economy needs to be sound if we want a sound credit system. Our use of how we charge and pay back our bills can make or break our economy. It may seem difficult at first but take control of your spending and it will work for us all.

As time goes on, the economy will only get better because it works in cycles. We are going to reach our high points and our lows; it's a way of life. Just keep in mind that you are the one that's ultimately responsible for your credit. Be careful and don't spend over your head and the credit crisis shouldn't hit you personally.


A fascinating study came out last week that gives us all a first glimpse into the street-level impact of the current Credit Crunch... the "Ripples" of lender's recent losses that will be the real impact on you and I.

Most press coverage of the Sub-Prime meltdown is focused on the losses the various lending institutions are facing.

Those losses are massive and have required some of our mainstream banking institutions - Merrill Lynch, AIG, Citigroup to name just a few - to accept bailouts from foreign funds.

However ... those losses are not what will affect you and I when we try to get a loan.

The actual "Ripples" that will stop us are the Credit Contraction those losses will cause. It's like an old slapstick comedy where the guy looks one way and gets hit by a car coming from the other direction.

We are focusing on the Lender's Losses and the Credit Contraction is what will run us all over.

How bad is it?

The study is titled

"Leveraged Losses: Lessons from the Mortgage Market Meltdown,"

and was written by an all-star cast from Wall Street, the Chicago Fed, and academia.

They argue that for every dollar in losses the lending institutions suffer they have to shrink their balance sheets by $10-$25.

That's right ...for every dollar they lose there are $25 less in the kitty to lend you and me.

The research team predicts losses of up to $400 Billion for the lending industry ... but watch out ... here comes the bus from the other direction...

Remember the losses aren't near as important to you and me as the way they cause less money to be available for loans.

The study calculates a shrinkage of $2 TRILLION in assets that would otherwise be in the hands of borrowers like us.

That's Trillion with a "T".

Two Trillion Dollars that will NOT be there for home mortgages, loans for your next apartment purchase, business lines of credit to keep you in widgets.

Those are ripples the size of Tsunami.

This contraction has even spawned a rarely heard term ...

"De-Leveraging"

De-Leveraging is the opposite of Leveraging.

It is when the easy money days that let anyone borrow (leverage) on even poor quality assets come to an end.

During a period of De-Leveraging - like we are seeing now - the lenders call in their chits. They call loans due, ask for additional cash from borrowers, drop their loan to value ratios, increase debt coverage rations, argue every point of your proforma several times ... or even stop lending on whole classes of assets.

The fact is they don't want to give you a loan right now because they can't see an end to the losses at the moment. Most of the experts I read are talking about rolling losses throughout 2008 and recovery in 2009.

What does this all mean to you ...

- Be ready for a much harder go of getting your commercial real estate purchases financed in the next 12 months.

- Hoard your cash. Cash will be King for the foreseeable future. And get to work building your private money investor network in this lull.

- Watch for victims of De-Leveraging. People who would like to refinance, but can't get a new loan and have to sell their property at a steep discount.

- Be on the lookout for quality multifamily. In selected markets this is the Real Estate Investor's Niche of the moment. Cash flowing Multifamily is the equivalent of a "flight to quality" in this environment.

- Don't expect the Recession and Credit Crunch to clear any time soon. Hang on and remember you are in this for the long haul. The true bargains will become apparent as we go deeper into the dip.
Article Source : Pg. 216

About Author
Both Tom Tessin & Monte Lee-wen are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Tom Tessin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mileage and Fuel, Education and Finances. Fix your credit today with which can all be found at FINDsecuredcards.com, as well as more of Tom's work.. Tom Tessin's top article generates over 673000 views. to your Favourites.

Monte Lee-wen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Real Estate and Foreclosure Help. Learn the Insider Secrets of Commercial Property Investment from Monte Lee-Wen who has personally purchased over $150M in Commercial Real Estate. CLICK THIS LINK NOW to start your. Monte Lee-wen's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
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