Will the bailout help?

Published 11:40 pm Friday, October 3, 2008

Congress made right choice, but measure flawed

James McCusker, a Bothell economist, said Congress did the right thing to revive the credit markets, even though the law is far from perfect.

“The economics of this is easier to understand than the politics of it,” said McCusker, who writes a column for The Herald each Sunday. “It looks bad. It smells bad. I wouldn’t say I like it when I don’t. But I’m happy that they passed it.”

The measure should make it easier quickly for cash-strapped businesses to borrow money, McCusker said. But it could take some time before the real estate market gets relief from the government’s intervention, he added.

“If (federal officials) are patient with this thing and work with homeowners, I think the loss will be minimal,” he said.

It remains to be seen how much the bailout plan can improve the nation’s financial system, which is plagued with bad loans, McCusker said.

“I do think this bill and the Treasury’s action will help,” he added. “They are going to sort out things that are good and put them back in the market one way or the other.”

The bank rescue plan that was put together quickly also has many irrelevant provisions such as tax breaks and subsidies for filmmakers, McCusker said.

“It’s shameful we have to fill the bill with all the junk,” he said.

State community banks generally fairing well

Jack Myles, the president and chief executive officer of North County Bank based in Arlington has 35 years in the industry. He said the bailout will have little effect on his bank, which he said has been immune from the subprime mortgage crisis.

“Most of this bill will not do a lot of good directly,” Myles said. “I don’t have any loans to sell them.”

Not all of the nation’s banks need help from the government, Myles said, noting it’s mostly the larger ones. “Most of the community banks in Washington (state) are in pretty good shape, well-capitalized in most cases,” he said.

“They have been successful. We want to make sure that consumers understand that,” he said.

Myles, who recently finished a term as chairman of Community Bankers of Washington, said he is waiting to see how the federal government will execute the bailout.

“I tend to be a little skeptical when the government does something this big,” he said. “How many people will it take to run this program?”

He said he hopes to be proven wrong.

“If it helps the general economy, that will obviously help us,” he added.

Financial meltdown hard on auto business

Buzz Rodland, owner of Rodland Toyota in Everett, said the auto business has been affected strongly by the financial meltdown.

“It’s not business as usual because credit requirements have been tightened,” he said. “There’s very little financing for people with poor credit.”

He noted that credit markets were “wide open” through early summer and there definitely was money available for first-time buyers.

Now, he said, that’s changed.

“There’s very little risk taking with first-time buyers from banks,” he added. “Student auto loans and first-time buyer programs are gone.”

The worsening economy has changed the business, he added.

“People don’t buy cars anymore because today is their wife’s birthday and they want a convertible,” he said. “They buy out of necessity.”

He noted the poor economy has greatly reduced shoppers at his dealership.

“Traffic is as low this week as I’ve seen in 20 years,” he said, adding, “Part of that is the headlines and part of it is the Boeing strike.”

He said the bailout bill will help “in that anything to move on and get these credit markets going again is good.

“I think this is the beginning of the end,” he said, referring to the economic crisis.

Congress’ action may help restore confidence

Greg Rielly, a mortgage banker and planner at Mortgage Advisory Group in downtown Everett, said the market in the region is still good.

He said the bad financial news has undermined people’s confidence.

“Their spirits are down,” he said. “Now there’s some hope, there’s some light. They’re finally taking some action to create a more favorable environment, but it may not be a perfect environment. No action is not a solution.”

Rielly noted that people who want to buy a home can find mortgage money.

“If you haven’t created a lot of bad debt and you have your credit and assets in order, you will be able to obtain a home loan,” he said.

The market situation is all relative, he said.

“People are selling for less,” he added. “That means people can buy for less. It’s still a great marketplace.”

He said the bailout will help.

“It’s a good thing,” he said. “The House of Representatives has finally moved beyond paralysis and hesitation. Leaders are finally showing signs of leadership.”