Greed, Quest for Yield, Failure of Rating Agencies, Rising Housing Price Expectations, 'Pulse and Pen Lending, Excessive Leverage, Derivatives, 'Holy Alliance turned 'Unholy'....

At a national symposium last month sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, I was invited to speak about the future of residential lending...

With 7 million properties currently either vacant or in foreclosure, the country cannot afford more residential lending mistakes. Caution: former subprime lending superstars have re-emerged as FHA (Federal Housing Adminstration-under HUD) lenders! This development is a major problem for the country.

I've learned loan officers who previously worked for...

When the architects of our democracy drafted the magnificent words in the constitution and Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note (something I am familiar with as a former bank CEO) to which every American would fall heir.

The note was a promise that all would be...

As the recession continues and perhaps even deepens, it is difficult not to wonder about the next cycle. It appears that the economy will continue to worsen as we have at least two drivers that continue to hammer the economy in the United States.

First, residential real estate values...

Sarah Palin used the sports metaphor that she was passing the ball as her rationale for stepping down. Although, a passed ball makes sense on the playing field, she is leaving the playing field and more accurately dropping the ball. It seems hard to believe that Alaska's problems were solved...

We spend nearly $2.5 trillion per year on health care in this country. That equates to 15% of GDP or approximately $8,000 per person. In fact, our country spends the 3rd most in the world on health care. Are we getting the appropriate value in exchange for this expense?...

Culture of Inclusion vs. Culture of Exclusion: What is the Impact?

There is a mostly invisible minority that is present in significant numbers in workplaces across the country. I classify the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered group as a mostly invisible as many in this group may not choose...

The financial mess that we are in is bringing to the light that many boards were unable to properly perform the oversight role they are charged to do with public companies. What happened?

In good times, oversight is easy as the proverbial tide lifts all boats. It is not until...

Should the government get involved in setting compensation for all CEO's or just the ones that are running companies that we, as taxpayers and the government had to bail out?

I hope the government will not have to reach so far as to interfere with a properly functioning free...

Mark to Market accounting was ushered in in the 1980's as a solution to the failings of the Savings and Loan Crisis. A few of these big S+L's kept the regulators at bay by carrying big assets (think the Pheonician Hotel) on their books for substantially more than their actual...

Essay: "Is Greed still our Creed in America?"
By: William A. Donius
January 27, 2009

When Gordon Gecko proclaimed his penultimate line, "Greed is Good, Greed Works" in the 1987 film, "Wall Street" it seemed to somehow make greed more acceptable to the ambitious. After all, at the...