Open Letter to America’s Mortgage Underwriters
By Mitch Berg
Perhaps y’all remember me. I’m one of those guys you used to read about; I make decent money, live within my means. Work is good and steady (knock wood). My credit rating has a few dings – I’m still cleaning up from a year of near-unemployment and some dodgy contracting work, but all in all I’m not doing that badly.
I bought the house as – I’ll let you take a moment to absorb this – a place to raise kids. I’ve been here 14 years, and I fully expect to have my grandkids over for Christmas in (takes a deep breath) ten or fifteen years. It’s not like I’m going anywhere. Most of all, I’m not one of those guys who uses his house as an ATM. The balance on my mortgage is about 3/4 of what my house was appraised at.
NOTE: That’s “3/4”, as in “75%”. Not “100%”, like the loans some of you were approving like Las Vegas marriages until recently. Not 135%, which is what some of the loans you approved last year have turned into in the past few months. Nope. Just a simple, workadaddy, hugamommy 75%.
So let’s get this straight, between you, me, and your potted plant; for the last couple of years, while you were busy approving deals that render this story just barely this side of the “reality/comedy” curve, “investing” money like a crack whore “invests” with a stolen Gold Card, I was plugging away, trying to build equity, doing the best I could.
So don’t take your hangover over your years of crappy decisions on other borrowers out on me, toots.
That is all.





December 18th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Does this mean they said no?
December 18th, 2007 at 7:41 am
No to one offer, waiting on a much less “risky” one, plus there are other irons in the fire.
No, they’re just being pissy.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Have you called my guy yet?
December 18th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Next on the list. If the irons I have in the fire right now don’t work, I’m gonna give it a rest for a month or two and start with your guy.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Talk to Alan Greenspan.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Hm.
Banaiaiaiaaaiaiaiiiiaaaaan?
December 18th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Bummer. Timing is everything, dude. You gotta hit them at the right time.
You know what they say about bankers: they’re the kind of guys who’ll lend you an umbrella, but want it back when it’s raining. And it’s raining for them now.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Well, let’s be clear. It’s not a bummer, yet. My “A” proposal (some cash out) got rejected, but my “B” proposal (pay the balance, drop five points) is on the table.