2008: A Year in Review. From tepid bad news in January ‘08 to full fledged financial Armageddon just twelve short months later. A financial year like never before.

Scan the months and the stories. Review the list of the hundreds of Blog entries. First, from a macro-level to get the full sense of how this year has unfolded, scroll through the list below in its entirety. Just the surveying of the titles tells a unique story in and of itself. Then delve deep within each entry to explore the details and the history.

Hopefully we at MarylandCommercialTitle have provided you with some insights, education, and direction, at times. If nothing else we warned you as to what was to come and what to potentially think about.

From an editorial perspective, this has been one heck of a year; and one certainly for the record books, in every way.

May 2009 provide some good cheer and far less negative real estate and financial news to report, as we wish all our readers a happy and healthy and profitable 2009!

Archive for January, 2008 … Right out of the gate we started to take a look at the collapsing economy, problems and possible fixes. We sensed the recession and much, much more.

House OK’s increase in loan limits, temporarily .. BUT not Senate

Maryland Tax Sale Abuse?

Huge News for the Jumbo Mortgage Industry

No Punitive Damages for Title Company

Title insurance reform on hold in New Mexico

Japan in the ’90’s: A Look Back at Recession

First American Corp to split in two …

Has Baltimore housing bottomed out?

2008 Commercial Real Estate Prediction

2008 Maryland Property Assessment Zonk!

Archive for February, 2008 … Began to learn about the dreaded failure of the Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities, how Commercial Real Estate is a trailing economic indicator,  PMI in trouble and the slipping residential mortgage market, and started to see slippage locally.

It’s a bit overwhelming, but there’s hope ….

CMBX Signals Trouble

Commercial Default: A Possible Solution

Why Commercial Real Estate Remains Attractive

Commercial Lending on the skids …

More Trouble: Mortgage insurers not sure about insuring …

A New Approach to Tapping Home Equity

Maryland Market Trends

Is it getting worse? Toll Brothers relative walks away from purchase

Walk Away Homeowners: Times Have Changed

Archive for March, 2008 … Major changes were afoot: Feds reorganize, historic lows and more.

The Feds Reorganizing the Financial System

Commercial Real Estate: An Extra Stimulus Act Perk

Real Estate Market Trends: March 2008

Historically Low Commercial Delinquency Rates: Go Figure

Can Banks Recapture Closing Costs?

Beware: New 90-Day Maryland Resident Entity Rule

Homeowner Equity Below 50% for First Time Since 1945

FINALLY: New FHA/GSE Loan Limits Are Announced

Maryland Real Estate Options: Close, but no cigar

An IRS Gift: Section 1031 Exchanges for Second Home Owners

Archive for April, 2008 …Some faltering of title insurance firms, trends ahead and – not that it helped, per se — but we were way ahead of the curve, for sure.

Indicia of future real estate deals: As LandAmerica goes …

Moody’s Reads the Commercial Real Estate Tea Leaves

Commercial construction demand, down

More Puzzle Pieces: Insurance Companies, CMBSs, etc.

Ten years after the mortgage meltdown

Trends or Red Herrings: What Is Our Future?

So you thought it was bad … ??

Why commercial real estate deals are NOT getting done …

New RESPA Regulations: Unveiled & Exposed

Commercial Real Estate Financing — Alive or Dead?

Archive for May, 2008 … Trying to figure out the sub-prime mortgage problem and it’s widespread impact, while trying to search for opportunities amongst the rubble.

A Title Horror Show of Epic Hollywood Proportions

$600 Billion of CRE value wiped off the books?

Dinosaurs, Tar Pits and Macklowe: Real Estate Today

Understanding Sub-Prime: Location, Location, Location

The Home Finance data is a fall’in …

Weakened Commercial Real Estate Markets Ahead

Retail Real Estate, Good News

Prices are a falling …

As Macklowe went, so goes Eichner: A microcosm of the commercial market

MD real estate transfer tax loopholes — dead or alive?

Archive for June, 2008 … Banks starting to fail, housing market is failing. The wheels were starting to come off the bus in June.

Small Banks at risk, too ….

Non-Residential Trends (More good news) ….

Worst Housing Market in 50 Years …

Opting Out of Title Insurance — Do Not!

Even harder to get a mortgage in MD?

The next shoe to drop: Homebuilder defaults?

Archive for July, 2008 … First problems with CMBS, and then double trouble: the absence of CMBS deals.

Finally: Some Good RE News!

Update: Most Important Housing Bill in a Generation?

NO CMBS deals: Now what?

Largest Monthly U.S. CRE Decline ….

Are we in a CRECESSION?

When truth is stranger than fiction: A CRE Microcosm

The Fed Statement: What WAS NOT said …

The State of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Mid-Year 2008

Archive for August, 2008 … The credit crunch watch begins, as huge bank losses mount.

A Trend: Commercial RE Player Embraces Residential

The Real Estate Bubble: What — Mostly Good News?

Commercial Real Estate Prices Decline: Is This The Bubble?

Foreclosure Stats: Up Close and Personal

The Credit Crunch: The Next Shoe to Drop ….

1031 Exchanges: Do you know who’s holding your funds?

Now, Banks’ Subprime Losses Exceed $500 Billion!

Bank Lending Practices Q4 2008 and into 2009

Archive for September, 2008 …. Government begins to focus on what we had been writing about for most of the year, as we begin to hear about “bailouts” and disasters abounding.

So, what is in Congress’ Bailout Plan

The origins of the financial crisis ….

Right from the horses mouth: Sec. Paulson Revamping the system

A Financial dissater or a catharsis?

Media Overview: Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Takeover

How Falling Value Mean Good Market for REITs

The end of Fannie and Freddie …

Is this the Real Estate solution?

Archive for October, 2008 … Learning about Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) and the swapping from AIG, et. al., all sorts of scary black holes.

The Great Home Default

Not a Halloween Prank: It is really our Economy

Five Arguments for Economic Rebound

Waiting for lower mortgage rates: A flawed strategy?

Commercial Real Estate: Balto-Wash Corridor Outlook

Commercial Real Estate: How bad will it get?

Opportunities in Harford County, MD. due to BRAC

What are Mortgage Backed Securties (MBS)?

2008 Financial Bailout: The Final Act

LIBOR & TED Spread: Who Cares? You will …

Archive for November, 2008 …. No longer just billions, now it is trillions in losses, title companies going bankrupt, banks closing, Wallstreet is no more as we know it.

BANKRUPTCY: LandAmerica in Bankruptcy

A True Dragnet (Just The Facts): The Current Financial Crisis — $7.4 Trillion

Even more pessimistic projections about the economy?

Maryland Foreclosures: Better news than expected

What … Overhauling the 401(k) System?

Bankruptcy judges modifying loans?

The Day After The Election: A Dirty Job!

Archive for December, 2008 … The end to an extraordinarily painful year of plunging home prices, foreclosures, tight and nonexistent credit facilities to banks, companies and consumers, soaring unemployment; tumbling exports; and sinking home values which are straining the balance sheets of banks that hold mortgages or mortgage-related assets.

Retail Real Estate: The Next Shoe

Happy New Year — 2009!

Again, falling home prices consistent with year old recession

Mortage Update: 83% of all activity are Refi’s

Happy Holiday to All !!

A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis: Part II

Leading Economic Indicator: Lowest Levels, Ever

Beware Sellers/Developers: Maryland’s Expansion of Liability

Title Insurers: Down to just three?

Empire State Building Stolen?

Tags: 2008 In Review

Posted in Historical Perspective | No Comments