Detox
OFHEO has been extremely clever in its approach. Not only has it anticipated possible Fannie defenses, it also appears to be trying to get insiders over to its side. From the report, a chief culprit seems to be the Fannie accountant Boyles. But if higher-ups helped formulate dodgy accounting policies, Boyles is now very unlikely to take all the blame on his own shoulders, especially if the Justice Department is readying an investigation, as has been reported.
It is also wise to ignore any reports that the SEC has doubts about OFHEO's allegations. The SEC officials who will be working on the agencies probe of Fannie told congressional staffers that they are taking OFHEO's findings very seriously, according to Michael DiResto, press spokesman for Rep. Richard Baker, (R., La.), who is on the House Financial Services Committee and is a longtime critic of Fannie.
Josh Rosner, an analyst with Medley Global Advisors, points out
another good reason why the SEC is unlikely to defend Fannie's accounting
against OFHEO: Fannie's board has entered a consent agreement with OFHEO to
review its books and restate past earnings and change accounting policies,
if the need arises. In other words, it's hard to see the SEC rushing to the
defense of a company that may soon have to restate its books.
TheStreet Premium Services
Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS:
Trade right alongside a Wall Street pro — enjoy access to his Charitable Trust portfolio and be sent trade alerts BEFORE he makes a move. Learn MoreOptionsProfits:
Get 50+ trade ideas a week from the industry's top options experts. Plus — exclusive commentary on market trends and essential trading tools. Learn MoreReal Money:
Our team of professional Wall Street Pros — including Jim Cramer, Doug Kass, and Nicholas Vardy — delivers intelligent analysis, timely trade ideas, and colorful commentary. Learn MoreStocks Under $10:
Break into the market with small- and mid-cap stocks... all $10 or less! David Peltier tells you exactly which low-priced stocks he's buying and selling. Learn MoreTo begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details.
blog comments powered by Disqus
| Dow Jones | S&P 500 | NASDAQ | 10-Year Note |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,419.86 | 1,313.32 | 2,837.36 | 16.25 |
Oil *
103.00
|
|
DOWN
160.83 |
DOWN
19.10 |
DOWN
33.63 |
DOWN
1.06 |
10 Yr
1.62%
SPDR Gold
151.91
|
|
-1.28%
|
-1.43%
|
-1.17%
|
-6.12%
|
Data delayed 20 minutes |


Connect with TheStreet