Foreclosure Goes To Hollywood

Television sidekick, Ed McMahon may be losing his house to foreclosure. Of course Countrywide is involved. The article from the Wall Street Journal illustrates how even a Beverly Hills celebrity is not immune to the Great Housing Bubble. Here are some details -

ReconTrust, a unit of mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, on Feb. 28 filed a notice of default on a $4.8 million Countrywide loan backed by Mr. McMahon's home. The notice was filed with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office but hasn't previously come to light. According to the filing, Mr. McMahon was then about $644,000 in arrears on the loan. It isn't clear whether Countrywide still owns the loan or is acting on behalf of investors who acquired it. Public records also show that Mr. McMahon had a separate home-equity line of credit from Countrywide of up to $300,000 secured by the same house.

Mr. McMahon's home has been on the market for about two years, his real-estate agent Alex Davis said. Mr. Davis said the price had been reduced, but he couldn't immediately provide details. The Christie's Great Estates Web site, which includes homes listed by Mr. Davis, lists the asking price at $5.75 million and says it has a canyon view and a master-bedroom suite with his and her bathrooms.

Mr. McMahon broke his neck in a fall about 18 months ago and hasn't been able to work, Mr. Bragman said. That health problem, along with the weak housing market and economy, has forced Mr. McMahon into foreclosure proceedings, Mr. Bragman said.

The McMahons "understand that they are in the same situation as hundreds of thousands of other hard-working Americans, and their hearts go out to them," Mr. Bragman said.

For the average persons sake, hopefully he made bad financial decisions when we was younger. Because if did not and he can not make it where will the rest of us be at 85.