OXFORD, Miss. – With the federal government’s takeover this week of
mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the real estate market and
how banks lend money is a hotter topic than ever.
Ken Cyree, interim dean of the School of Business Adminstration at the University of Mississippi, lectures on subprime mortgage lending at 6 p.m. Sept. 16 in Holman Hall, Room 30. The free, public lecture is among dozens of campus events planned to help prepare students and local audiences for the first 2008 presidential debate, scheduled Sept. 26 at UM’s Ford Center.
“When we originally thought the debate would focus on domestic issues, we wanted the business school to be involved, and even with the change in topic, this is a big issue that will be looked at by the future president,” said Cyree, holder of the business school’s Frank R. Day/Mississippi Bankers Chair of Banking. “For the first quarter of 2008, 91 percent of all mortgages were paid on time, which is the vast majority. So it is just a small percentage of the market causing a problem.”
Business student Mario Hilliard, president of the Financier’s Club, encourages students to attend the lecture.
“This is a great opportunity to learn about the enormity and seriousness of this current topic in relation to the economy and financial markets,” said Hilliard, a senior banking and finance major from Oxford.
“I will also try to apply the ramifications for Mississippi and U.S. policymaking with respect to the mortgage and housing crisis,” Cyree said.
For more information or for assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-5820. For a complete list of presidential debate-related events and more about the presidential debate at UM, visit http://debate.olemiss.edu/ .