The actions of Herb and Marion Sandler, founders of the Center for Responsible Lending, were discussed in a segment on 60 Minutes last night.
Both the transcript and full video segment are available online.
An excerpt:
In fact, Herb and Marion Sandler were legendary. In 1963, they started Golden West Financial and grew to 285 branches under the name World Savings. The Sandlers’ were known for careful, conservative lending. They’ve given away millions of dollars to charity and started an advocacy group for low income borrowers called the Center for Responsible Lending.
In 2006, just before the housing crash, the Sandlers sold their bank to Wachovia and pocketed $2.3 billion.
Trouble is, some of their money came from people like Betty Townes, who is financially ruined after being sold a series of World Savings mortgages she couldn’t afford.
Reminds me of an old Alanis Morissette song.