WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration, state attorneys general, and, perhaps, the nation's largest banks are close to a final settlement on the years-long struggle over allegations of massive foreclosure fraud, according to several sources familiar with the talks.

"I think it is fair to give [New York Attorney General] Eric Schneiderman and the other progressive attorneys general a lot of credit for holding the line," said a source intimate with the negotiations. "This is a big victory for them."

Finally, a presidential candidate came out and honestly addressed the biggest problem in our economy, the enormous debt overhang in our mortgage market.

President Barack Obama's choice to lead the White House budget office oversaw a Citigroup unit that profited off the housing collapse and financial crisis by investing in a hedge fund king who correctly predicted the eventual subprime meltdown and now finds himself involved i …

It's been a bad month for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced last week that it was suing half a dozen former executives from the mortgage giants, including the ex-CEOs of both companies.

Two high-ranking financial whistleblowers say they tried to warn their superiors about defective and even fraudulent mortgages.

In a potentially precedent setting ruling on Monday, a federal judge in New York tossed out a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup, effectively telling the SEC -- which is responsible for protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly mark …

Learning that everyone (with two exceptions) has given up on Europe's financial system should send a shudder through the back of everyone who still is capable of independent thought - because said otherwise, the world's largest economic block is becoming unglued, and its e …

AFTER slowing down in the first half of the year, the rate of homes entering foreclosure is rising again. First-time default notices were served on 78,000 homes in August, a 33 percent increase from July.

The surprises of SEC's infinite revolving door conflicts of interest never cease to amaze (or, for that matter end).

You don't need to read these secret documents to figure out what's going on. You need simply read the publicly disclosed documents to see how Goldman's defense is built on sand.  

Being stuck is far more than just a side effect of pervasive banker fraud. It has become a national state of mind. Americans are terminally divided on issues from security, to the military, to immigration, healthcare, and, of course, the economy itself.

The trademark Taibbi visual: "the foreclosure crisis is Too Big for Fraud. Think of the Bernie Madoff scam, only replicated tens of thousands of times over, infecting every corner of the financial universe.

By pocket-vetoing the bill that sailed through Congress to expedite mortgage foreclosures, President Obama may have begun a chain reaction that will blow up Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's confidence game with the banks.

Two years after the peak of the financial crisis, the federal government swooped in to stabilize a crucial part of the credit-union sector battered by losses on subprime mortgages.

Once again, uncle Sam bails out those who have committed federal crime and sticks Joe Sixpack with the bill.

Goldman Sachs paid $550 million to settle charges of defrauding investors in a sale of securities tied to subprime mortgages, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.

Here is a fable that is making the rounds. It is a collection of half-truths and outright lies: The financial meltdown was the result of too many people pursuing the American Dream of home ownership.

When mortgage default rates started to climb earlier this year, many experts thought the damage would be confined to the minority of issuers that had binged on subprime lending.

This Senate document reveals Goldman Sachs selling products it knew would fail and placing bets (shorts) that these products would fail.

California Attorney General Ed Brown Jr. has subpoenaed ratings agency Moody's in order to force the company to reveal why it gave AAA ratings to crappy subprime mortgages and other toxic assets.

Summary from This American Life:

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Goldman, Sachs & Co. and one of its vice presidents for defrauding investors by misstating and omitting key facts about a financial product tied to subprime mortgages as the U.S. housing market was beginning to falter.

Today, President Obama announced a new plan to help five states fight through the ongoing impacts of the foreclosure crisis. I'm going to hold off on judging this new initiative, but the help has never been more urgent.

The angry comments flooded in after the federal government announced it was expanding its program to assist unemployed homeowners, as well as borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are now worth.