The subprime financial crisis is the decade's #1 financial story. What happened? How did it occur? And how can we prevent similar crises from happening again? Dr. Mark Zandi answers all these critical questions - systematically, carefully, and in plain English. Zandi begins with a fast-paced "history" of the crisis: where it started, how it spread, and where the fallout has landed. Next, he illuminates its deepest causes, ranging from the psychology of homeownership to Alan Greenspan's missteps. You'll watch the "flippers" at work and the real estate agents who cheered them on. You'll learn how Internet technology and access to global capital transformed mortgage lending, helping irresponsible lenders "drive out" good ones. Zandi demystifies the complex financial engineering that enabled lenders to hide growing risks and shows how global investors eagerly bought in, despite key warning signs. You'll discover how homebuilders contributed to the crisis, and how flummoxed regulators and policymakers failed to prevent it. Zandi offers indispensable advice for investors who must recognize emerging bubbles, policymakers who must improve oversight and citizens who must reduce their risks, so they can survive whatever comes next.

"The obvious place to start is the financial crisis and the clearest guide to it that I've read is "Financial Shock" by Mark Zandi. ... it is an impressively lucid guide to the big issues."--"The New York Times" "In "Financial Shock," Mr. Zandi provides a concise and lucid account of the economic, political and regulatory forces behind this binge."--"The Wall Street Journal" "Aggressive builders, greedy lenders, optimistic home buyers: Zandi succinctly dissects the mortgage mess from start to (one hopes) finish."--"U.S. News and World Report"
"A more detailed look at the crisis comes from economist Mark Zandi, co-founder of Moody's Economy.com. His "Financial Shock" delves deeply into the history of the mortgage market, the bad loans, the globalization of trashy subprime paper and how homebuilders ran amok. Zandi's analysis is eye-opening. ... he paints an impressive, more nuanced picture."--"Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine" "If you wonder how it could be possible for a subprime mortgage loan to bring the global financial system and the U.S. economy to its knees, you should read this book. No one is better qualified to provide this insight and advice than Mark Zandi."--Larry Kudlow, Host, CNBC's Kudlow & Company "Every once in a while a book comes along that's so important, it commands recognition. This is one of them. Zandi provides a rilliant blow-by-blow account of how greed, stupidity, and recklessness brought the first major economic crises of the 21st entury and the most serious since the Great Depression."--Bernard Baumohl, Managing Director, The Economic Outlook Group and best-selling author, "The Secrets of Economic Indicators" "Throughout the financial crisis Mark Zandi has played two important roles. He has insightfully analyzed its causes and thoughtfully recommended steps to alleviate it. This book continues those tasks and adds a third--providing a comprehensive and comprehensible explanation of the issues that is accessible to the general public and extremely useful to those who specialize in the area."--Barney Frank, Chairman, House Financial Services Committee The subprime crisis created a gigantic financial catastrophe. What happened? How did it happen? How can we prevent similar crises from happening again? Mark Zandi answers all these critical questions--systematically, carefully, and in plain English.Zandi begins with a fast-paced overview and then illuminates the deepest causes, from the psychology of homeownership to Alan Greenspan's missteps. You'll see the home "flippers" at work and the real estate agents who cheered them on. You'll learn how Internet technology and access to global capital transformed the mortgage industry, helping irresponsible lenders drive out good ones. Zandi demystifies the complex financial engineering that enabled lenders to hide deepening risks, shows how global investors eagerly bought in, and explains how flummoxed regulators failed to prevent disaster, despite crucial warning signs.Most important, Zandi offers indispensable advice for investors who must recognize emerging bubbles, policymakers who must improve oversight, and citizens who must survive whatever comes next. Liar's loans, flippers, predatory lenders, delusional homebuilders
"How the housing market came unhinged, and the whirlwind came together"Alan Greenspan's trillion-dollar bet
"Betting on the boom, ignoring the bubble"The subprime market goes global
"Worldwide investors get a piece of the action--and reap the results"Wall Street's alchemists: conjuring up Frankenstein
New financial instruments and their hidden contentsBack to the future: risk management for the 21st century
Respecting the "animal spirits" that drive even the most sophisticated markets