Some WSJ Notes

A few notes from the Wall Street Journal over the past week or so:

"Pennsylvania mortgage relief wins fans," by Ruth Simon 1/26

Pennsylvania's program is geared toward providing short-term aid to borrowers suffering from temporary hardship such as job loss. it helps homeowners meet the terms of the existing mortgage with separate, below-market rate loans.

"States weigh judicial recusals," by Nathan Koppel 1/26

more states re responding to a longstanding concern that elected judges risk the appearance of bias when they hear cases involving their campaign contributors. But recent examples from Wisconsin and Nevada show that some states are reluctant to force some judges to disqualify themselves from cases solely because they have received large contributions.

St. Onge Co., a "small supply-chain consulting firm in York, Pa," gets a mention in "Expanding abroad? Avoid cultural gaffes," by Emily Maltby 1/19. St. Onge learned from experience when developing a partnership in Moscow.

From "Souring mortgages, weak market put loan agency on a tightrope," by Nick Timiraos 1/19:

At a conference in November, Robert Toll, chief executive of luxury-home builder Toll Brothers, Inc., referred to the FHA as "the new subprime" and "a defninte train wreck" that will soon need a bailout, according to a transcript of his remarks.

From "BofA's Moynihan gets a 19% raise," by Dan Fitzpatrick 1/28 we learn that Brian Moynihan will be earning $950,000 from his base pay in 2008. Still it is less than the previous CEO of Bank of America, whose base salary was $1.5 million. Honestly, how can he manage on such a paltry sum.