PREDATORY LENDING  Predatory lending is a hot topic in the news and there is a good reason why. Dishonest behavior by many lenders, bankers, brokers and their sales force have caused financial ruin worldwide in the last year or so. As property values fall, energy costs soar, consumers become unable to pay exorbitant mortgage fees. The collapse of the sub-prime market is a direct result of predatory lending.  Here are the various types of predatory lending:      Pay Option Loans Many lenders and mortgage brokers have acted dishonestly and without integrity by providing teaser rates and "pay option" loans. Bottom line is...

Diana Olick's latest column puts "principal writedown" in perspective:   "The government is officially giving borrowers back home equity. Yep, somewhere between $35 and $50 billion worth. Of course we've all lost over $5 trillion, but who's counting? Lenders still aren't required to do it, but they're going to get an awful lot of taxpayer-funded incentives to do it…Let's face it, the underwater issue (that is borrowers owing more on their loans than their homes are worth) is now far bigger than the subprime issue and the unemployment issue. Yes, it's concentrated heavily in five states, but it still manages to...