{"product_id":"9781440661938","title":"The Foreclosure of America: Life Inside Countrywide Home Loans and the Selling of the American Dream","description":"\u003cb\u003e Now in paperback-an inside look at Countrywide Home Loans and the mortgage crisis, from a former mortgage lender executive. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In July 2004, Adam Michaelson attended a high-level meeting at Countrywide Financial headquarters about a new loan product that would allow borrowers to pay \u003ci\u003eless\u003c\/i\u003e than their minimum monthly payment. The \"finance jocks\" believed that the booming housing market would only get bigger, supporting homeowners in a cycle of borrowing against their houses and refinancing later. They were wrong. And when the bottom dropped out, Countrywide suffered the consequences-as did millions of Americans. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With an insider's knowledge and thorough reporting on the impact on American families and the ripple effects on the economy, Michaelson examines the marketing of a mirage and the bad business decisions that destroyed a company, confronts the ethical questions that have arisen in the wake of the foreclosure crisis, and offers creative proposals to prevent such a meltdown from ever happening again.","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47140019994864,"sku":"9781440661938","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781440661938_p0.jpg?v=1763786621","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781440661938","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}