Zandi K Quotes & Sayings

There is a banking adage that if it's growing like a weed, it's a good chance that it's a weed. — Mark Zandi

The FHA's success provides strong evidence that government can and should play a role in the nation's mortgage finance system. It also demonstrates that although government intervention in the economy during the Great Recession was messy, things would have been a lot messier without it. — Mark Zandi

We need to get rid of the debt ceiling law. It's anachronistic and it's a problem. — Mark Zandi

Our economy isn't going to recover until the housing market finds its footing. — Mark Zandi

We're getting job creation in healthcare and educational services. We've been getting that all along. It's demographically driven, it's funded by the government, and that's held up. — Mark Zandi

Potential home buyers have a two-step decision process. First, they determine whether they can afford to make a purchase - does their income safely cover their mortgage payment? Then they determine whether owning is a better financial choice than renting - are the costs of owning a home lower than the cost of renting it? — Mark Zandi

The extension and expansion of the payroll tax holidays for workers would be number one on my list and key to avoiding recession. — Mark Zandi

President Obama's reelection started the countdown for lawmakers to address the fiscal cliff and the statutory debt limit. Unless the President and House Republicans can agree on changes to current law, the U.S. economy will be in recession by spring. — Mark Zandi

I'm a registered Democrat. — Mark Zandi

It is easy to be pessimistic. These are extraordinarily difficult times, and the collective psyche is teetering. But we are closer to righting the wrongs that got us into this economic mess than most of us believe. — Mark Zandi

It is hard to be enthusiastic about the economy's prospects when house prices are falling: Households spend less, small business owners can't use homes as collateral for loans and local governments are forced to cut jobs and programs as property-tax revenue disappears. — Mark Zandi

No one should expect the value of their house to appreciate quickly - counting on your home to be a significant part of your retirement saving isn't a winning strategy - but it is reasonable to expect that prices generally will rise with at least the rate of inflation for some time to come. — Mark Zandi

They called me the sexiest economist in America, and that was years ago, when I had hair and body mass and my teeth were shiny. — Mark Zandi

Distressed properties are often vacant and in disrepair, and thus sold at significant discounts. As the share of distressed sales grows, home prices fall. — Mark Zandi

Lenders look at potential borrowers from many angles before extending credit: How much of its income will a household need to put into debt repayment? How large is the down payment? Does the borrower have a job with a stable income? What is the borrower's credit score? — Mark Zandi

A home is still the biggest asset that most Americans own. — Mark Zandi

The discussion in Washington has changed dramatically. I mean, it's no longer a question of should we address entitlements - it's no longer a question of do we need to reduce spending in the future. — Mark Zandi

Investor demand for distressed property has been healthy, as rents rise to levels that can cover investors' costs while they wait for properties to appreciate. Giving investors a small tax break should further juice up demand, supporting prices for distressed homes and the market in general. — Mark Zandi

I've done work for both Democrats and Republicans. — Mark Zandi

The principal linkages between Japan and the U.S. global economies are trade, financial markets, and commodity markets. — Mark Zandi

Buying a home wouldn't make much sense if house prices were likely to decline further; no one wants to catch a falling knife. — Mark Zandi

Housing was ground zero for the Great Recession. Between early 2006 and Obama's inauguration in 2009, average house prices fell by a third across the country. In certain areas, including cities as diverse as Akron, Orlando and Las Vegas, house prices fell by more than half. — Mark Zandi

In the fourth grade, my history teacher gave us a project: Why was the auto industry located in Detroit, Michigan? I didn't know I was going to be an economist, but I knew I was going to do something that was involved in answering questions like that one because I thought that was a fascinating question. — Mark Zandi

Yes. I don't think it would be appropriate at this point to raise taxes on anyone, certainly not in 2011. — Mark Zandi

Now, I do think when we move into 2012 and '13 when, presumably, the economy is on firmer ground, I would allow the tax rates for upper-income individuals to revert back to where they were before the cuts in the 1990s. I think at that point it makes perfect sense. — Mark Zandi

Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say. — Mark Zandi

Too-easy credit and millions of bad loans made during the U.S. housing bubble paved the way for the financial calamity and Great Recession that followed. Today, by contrast, credit is too tight. Mortgage loans are particularly hard to get, creating a problem for the housing market and the broader economy. — Mark Zandi

Defaulting on the nation's debt would be cataclysmic. The U.S. Treasury's Aaa rating is the one constant in the world's financial system. When times are bad anywhere on the planet, global investors flock to Treasury bonds because they know they will get their money back. — Mark Zandi

Past experience with fiscal austerity at home and overseas strongly suggests that it is best for the economy's long-run performance to restrain government spending rather than raise taxes. — Mark Zandi

Indeed, the FHA was born out of the Great Depression, which was also caused in significant part by a foreclosure crisis. Mortgages in the early 1930s were mostly three- to five-year 'bullet' loans, which did not amortize and were due in full at maturity. — Mark Zandi