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What is "duration risk"? (And how did it get Silicon Valley Bank into trouble?)

Mar 16, 2023
Investing in long-term government bonds and mortgage-backed securities hurt the bank as interest rates rose and bond prices plummeted.
Some bonds are more sensitive to interest rates than others, depending on how long they take to mature. That “duration risk” hurt SVB financially.
Noah Berger/AFP via Getty Images

Here's why mortgage rates have been falling

Dec 7, 2022
While the Fed has continued to hike interest rates, the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage has dropped from 7.16% to 6.4%.
When there’s a big surge in investor demand for mortgage bonds, "the price goes up, the rate goes down, and that trickles through to what the homeowners will see," said Jeana Curro at Bank of America.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

How a piece of software helped fuel the 2008 financial crash

Sep 17, 2018
The seeds of the Great Recession included a lot of greed, fraud ... and some technology.
Michael Osinski developed software that turned mortgages into securities for Wall Street banks. He retired years before the 2008 crash and now farms oysters on Long Island.
Tavner Murphy/Marketplace

Fannie and Freddie to launch joint securities venture

Mar 5, 2013
The regulator overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has announced an idea to reform the mortgage giants. It involves starting a joint venture to bundle mortgages into securities that people can invest in.

JPMorgan sued over mortgage-backed securities

Oct 2, 2012
The New York Attorney General is suing JP Morgan Chase over mortgage-backed securities peddled by its Bear Stearns unit, leading up to the financial crisis.

JPMorgan civil suit could be a game changer

Oct 2, 2012
JPMorgan Chase is facing a new law suit: civil fraud charges in New York state, over mortgage-backed securities. How does this case differ from potential criminal charges?

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