Subprime Factor (Paperback)

~ Jeffrey Schlaman (Author)
Key Phrases: plunge protection team, mortgage fraud, Aaron Cartwright, Webb Sutton, Arthur Whinney (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Doug Boyd has spent ten years sacrificing his social life and dignity to his accounting job, for little reward. So when his boss pressures him to ignore some suspicious numbers on a high-profile audit, he refuses to bend the rules. Ignoring his boss's veiled threats, he goes on a weekend camping trip with three old college buddies--and narrowly escapes a hit man.

Now Doug and his three friends--an FBI agent on the edge, a college economics instructor and conspiracy theorist, and a slick real estate broker--are caught in a tangled conspiracy that spawned the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank. A shadowy collective of representatives from the nation's most powerful financial companies and government agencies is colluding to "erase" the massive economic mistakes that caused the credit crunch and collapse of the recent housing bubble. Doug and his friends must fight to gather the evidence and blow the cover on the conspiracy before it ruins what's left of their careers and their lives.

About the Author

Jeffrey D. Schlaman is a former auditor and California CPA who earned his MBA from the University of Florida. He currently works as a finance executive in the UK. Subprime Factor was inspired by the current credit crisis and fallout from the burst of the housing market bubble. A native of Auburn, California, he currently lives in England with his wife, Stacey, and their two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Synergy Books (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981546250
• ISBN-13: 978-0981546254
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #966,772 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking and Entertaining, October 15, 2008

By	S. Weisser - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The title of this book caught my attention when I was searching for a book to help me better understand the current economic crisis. I was originally looking for, or rather expecting only to find, the typical dry business/textbook type coverage of the topic. This novel looked like it would cover the topic in a more interesting and entertaining way. It delivered.

In the same way I enjoy exercise more if it is "disguised" as sport or play, I enjoyed learning about the housing bubble and banking crisis when the information was disguised as a novel. Like other reviewers said, the story was well developed and entertaining, the characters, both the good and bad were easy to relate to, and the book was informative and thought provoking.

This book isn't the be all, end all authority on the sub-prime crisis, but it's not intended to be. If you want an easily accessible, fun way to learn enough to speak intelligently on the topic or want to jump-start a more thorough investigation of the crisis or economics in general, this book is perfect. Within that context, I have no problem awarding 5 stars. The one negative is that after reading it, I'm thinking a bit more like a conspiracy theorist than I'm comfortable with...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK EXPLAINS THE MORTGAGE CRISIS!, October 11, 2008

By	A. J. LaShell (Cool, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great read! This novel explains, in story form, some of the shadier aspects of the creation and growth of the housing bubble. The story is easy to follow and entertaining but there is a TON of real economic information incorporated into the novel as well. The narrative is easy to follow and the characters are very relatable, but the real beauty of this book is that it explains the housing bubble and predicts almost EXACTLY what is happening in the market right now. Jeff Schlaman is definitely the first to market with an "I told you so" book on the housing bubble!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, October 16, 2008

By	Linda Gendron (California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read the book in 2 days. I think it is a great book. I liked the quotes, the characters and the understandable economic lessons. It is one of those books that you can't wait to find out what happens so you read it quickly and then you're sad when you're finished. That's my favorite kind of book. I hope Jeff Schlaman writes another one.