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I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines, and the question:

Was the Fed action on Aug. 17 effectively a Countrywide bailout, saving a company many saw as too big to fail?

Fed watchers and banking experts say far more is at work here. The Fed wasn’t reacting to Countrywide’s plight as much as the conditions that put the lender in such deep trouble.

I’d love to get your thoughts. Was the fed reacting to conditions or to Countrywide, the last giant standing?

While reading (surfing) the New York Times this week, I came across an interesting article and transcript from the Democratic debate in Iowa. This particular “review” of the debate focused mainly on one issue, how the debate only briefly touched on one of the biggest issues facing our country – the crisis in the mortgage markets. I can’t say I was completely surprised by the blip on the radar, and this debate speaks for itself. It seems as though many of the politicians either don’t grasp the gravity of the situation, or just choose not to address the issue. Or maybe, they’re just completely confused! Take for example the following excerpt from the transcript.

Governor Richardson: This is the Katrina of the mortgage-lending industry. The answer to your question is yes, there has to be more liquidity, more funds in the market. What we need is more transparency between those that are making this business happen.

And what we also need to do is to not appoint officials that are in the industry to regulate that specific industry. The mortgage industry, they’ve become — a lot of them — a bunch of loan sharks.

Senator Biden: The answer is yes. But we need, as the governor says, more transparency, particularly with regard to hedge funds and private equity funds. They are the ones that are causing this thing to go under. And there’s no transparency, no accountability. We don’t know how deep this problem is.

After reading this several times, I can honestly say, I have no idea what the Governor or Senator are talking about in regards to Transparency. Seriously, what are they’re talking about? I’m not sure they even know.

Everyone sees these headlines every day about what’s going on in the mortgage industry, and it seems that each day another mortgage company is closing its doors, being acquired, or laying-off employees.

We all know the industry is facing monumental changes right now. And if you still need a reminder of how dramatic these events are, just take a look of this long, long list of companies that have recently closed, merged or had to do massive layoffs.

1st National – Arizona-based Alt-A wholesale lender cuts 212 employees
Aegis Funding – closed, seeking bankruptcy protection
Accredited – buyout from Lone Star in jeopardy
ACC Capital Holdings – mass layoffs at parent of Ameriquest
Acoustic Home Loans – closed subprime wholesale lender
ACT Mortgage Capital – suspended all submissions/fundings until further notice
Alliance Bancorp – closed
Alterna Mortgage – closed
Alternative Financing Corp. – wholesale division closed
American Home Mortgage – closed
Ameriquest – laid off 3,800, closed 229 retail branches after $325 million settlement
Amstar Mortgage Corp. – most of staff at corp. headquarters in Houston being laid off
Argent – for sale
Aurora Loan Services – layoffs at this Lehman Brothers lender
Axix Mortgage – closed
Bank of America – Countrywide merger possibility, continued layoffs
Bear Stearns – closed two hedge funds after huge subprime losses, 240 subprime layoffs
Blackstone Group – buying PHH Mortgage
BNC Mortgage LLC – layoffs, consolidated with Aurora Loan Services
Broad Street Mortgage – sold to Wausau Mortgage Corp.
Calusa Investments – website down, thought to be closed
Capital One Mortgage – 2,000 layoffs planned nationwide
Central Pacific Mortgage – closed, TMSF cancels deal to acquire company
Charter Funding – believed to be closed by parent First Magnus Financial
Chevy Chase – cuts correspondent channel
Choice Capital Funding – rumored to be closed
CIT Group Inc. – exiting residential mortgage lending
Citadel – buying ResMAE
Citigroup – bought ABN AMRO Mortgage Group, mulling acquisition of Argent Mortgage
Clear Choice Financial – in default, Bankruptcy possible
CMXL – acquires All Fund
Columbia Home Loans – subprime lender closed
Concorde Acceptance – rumored to be closed
CoreStar Financial Group – closed
Countrywide – layoffs in subprime , may be bought out by Bank of America
Dana Capital – closed
DB Home Lending – rumors are stirring
DeepGreen Financial – closed
Decision One – closed six regional centers
Deutsche Bank Correspondent Lending Group – consolidating business to MortgageIT
Ditech – 181 layoffs
Dollar Mortgage Corp. – being acquired by Shearson Financial Network
Domestic Bank – shutting down wholesale unit
E-loan – closed sub-prime wholesale division
ECC Capital/Encore Credit – sold to Bear Stearns, 100 layoffs announced Aug. 17
Entrust Mortgage – closed
Equibanc – closed by Wachovia
Express Capital Lending – not accepting new submissions until further notice
Fannie Mae – hundreds of layoffs coming
FBR – selling subprime unit
Fieldstone Mortgage – closed Las Vegas branch
First Community Bancorp – layoffs
First Consolidated Mortgage Co. – subprime wholesaler shutting down, in dispute
First Indiana Wholesale – closed wholesale consumer lending operations
First Magnus – no longer funding or originating any mortgage loans
First NLC Financial Services LLC – 645 layoffs
First Source Funding Group – closed
First Street Financial – closed
Flexpoint Funding – reportedly closed wholesale division
Flick Mortgage – closed
FMF Capital LLC – closed
Freestand Financial – closed
Fremont General – exited secondary sub-prime market
FundingAmerica – not accepting any new business
General Electric – buying PHH Corporation
Golden Empire Mortgage (GEM Capital) – closed
Great Southwest Mortgage – believed to be closed by parent First Magnus Financial
Greenpoint Mortgage – closed, 1900 employees laid off, 31 branches closed
Guaranty Residential – layoffs
H&R Block Mortgage Corp. – layoffs
Heartwell Mortgage – closed
Heritage Plaza Mortgage – closed
HMIC – closed
Home 123 Mortgage – closed
HomeBanc Mortgage Corp. – closed
Home Capital Inc. – closes
Home Equity of America – layoffs
Homefield Financial – closed
Homeland Capital Group – subprime wholesaler closed
Home Loan Center Inc. / Lending Tree – layoffs
Homeview Lending Inc. – layoffs, now appears to be closed
HSBC Mortgage Services (Correspondent division) – closed, layoffs
Huntington Financial – to be acquired by Oxford Funding
Impac Mortgage Holdings – layoffs, halted Alt-A loan production
Indymac – bought retail arm of New York Mortgage Trust, layoffs
Innovative Mortgage Capital – closed
Investaid Corp. – suspended operations indefinitely
Ivanhoe Mortgage – closed
KBC Bank NV (Belgium) – buying Vertical Lend
KKR Financial Holdings –no longer intends to invest in residential real estate
Lancaster Mortgage Bankers – closed
Lender’s Direct Capital Corporation – closed wholesale lending operations
Lending group Inc. – suspended operations
LendingTree – 20% of workforce laid off (fresh ones on Aug. 17)
Loancity – closed 7 branches, shut down
Loans 123 – no longer taking anymore business
Lone Star – facing lawsuit over purchase of Accredited Home Lenders
LowerMyPayment.com – closed, mortgage lead company
Luminent Mortgage – two default notices, selling equity stake to Arco Capital Corp.
Mandalay Mortgage – closed
Maribella Mortgage – closed
Master Financial – layoffs, ceased wholesale production
Mercantile Mortgage – seized operations
Metrocities Mortgage – layoffs
MGIC – bought rival mortgage insurance provider Radian Group (pending)
Mortgage Investment Lending Associates (MILA) – subprime wholesale lender shuts down
Millenium Bankshares – closed mortgage division
Millenium Funding Group – closed
MLSG – halted lending operation
Monarch Bank – buying mortgage-related assets from Resource Bank
Mortgage Investment Lending Associates – closed
Mortgage Lenders Network – stopped residential loan production
Mylor Financial – closed
National Home Equity – consolidated by National City Corp., suspended originations, layoffs
Nationpoint – a subsidiary of Merill Lynch laid off 60 people on August 15, 2007
Nation One Mortgage C0. Inc. – wholesale lender stopped origination and funding of mortgages
Nationstar – acquired Champion Mortgage
Netbank Funding – closed
New Century – filed bankruptcy
No Red Tape Mortgage – parent company Metrocities closed wholesale division
Northern Rock (UK) – issued profit warning
Novastar – closed wholesale unit, facing potentially huge lawsuit, laying off 37% of workforce
Oak Street Mortgage – closed, files bankruptcy
Opteum – closed conduit and wholesale operations
Option One Mortgage Corp. – layoffs, pending sale to Cerberus Capital Management LP
Own It Mortgage – closed
Oxford Funding – acquiring Huntington Financial
Pacific American Mortgage (PAMCO) – no new submissions, halted operations
People’s Choice Financial Corp. – bankrupt
People’s Mortgage – closed
Popular Financial Holdings – exited the wholesale sub-prime mortgage market
Premier Mortgage Funding, Inc – filed for bankruptcy
Quick Loan Funding – layoffs, now reported closed
QuoteMeARate.com Inc. – closed
RAMS Home Loans (Australia) – warned of profit losses after only two weeks on stock market
Residential Capital LLC – cutting roughly 1,000 jobs (GMAC company)
ResMae – layoffs, bankrupt/for sale
Resource Bank – selling mortgage-related assets to Monarch Bank
Right Away Mortgage – closed
RFC – layoffs
Rose Mortgage Corp. – closed
Saxon – layoffs
Scottish RE – large subprime exposure drops stock into dangerzone
Sea Breeze Mortgage Services, Inc. – Irvine, CA office phone disconnected, rumors of closure
Sebring Capital Partners – closed
Secured Funding – closed
Shearson Financial Network – to acquire Dollar Mortgage Corp.
Silver State Mortgage – closed
Solutions Funding – closed
Southstar Funding – closed
Sovereign Bancorp – exited wholesale market
Spectrum Financial Group – stopped funding loans, halted operations
Starpointe Mortgage – closed
Steward Financial – closed
Stone Creek Funding – closed
SouthStar Funding – closed
Summit Mortgage – closed
The Mortgage Warehouse – closed
Thornburg Mortgage – 5 downgrades, need to sell some assets to stay afloat, denied BK
Trojan Lending – ceased wholesale production
Trump Mortgage – closing
Unlimited Loan Resources – closed
Velocity Commercial Capital, LLC – layoffs reported, still breaking
Wachovia – closed Equibanc, layoffs
Warehouse USA – closed
Washington Mutual – layoffs, exited correspondent market
Wells Fargo Alternative Lending Wholesale – closed, layoffs nationwide
Winstar Mortgage – ceased operations
WMC – GE’s subprime unit cut 460 jobs

More at TheTruthAboutMortgage.com.