Predatory Bender

Rating:
Summary: Beating the devil with an ugly stick
Review: A great read! The steam was still rising off the words when I sat down to read Mr. Lee's novel about a predatory lender and the colorful group of characters bobbling about it. The characterizations are heavy-handed, yet curiously deft; there can be no doubt as you read about EmpiGroup and its no-holds-barred leader, Sandy Vyle, that you're getting a rollicking send up of Citigroup, the Borg corporation that glides through American financial life with the message that "resistance is futile."

This is not an English major's novel (Mr. Lee could have used a better proofreader and a tough editor), but if you're sick of corporations that run the world, government regulators who run interference for them, and journalists for whom the term "investigative" is a historical curiosity, then buy this book and enjoy several hours of a smart, funny writer who clearly enjoys mixing it up with the Big Boys. In the end the EmpiGroups of the world will win, but Mr. Lee gives them a few bruises to remember him by.

Rating:
Summary: Beating the devil with an ugly stick
Review: A great read! The steam was still rising off the words when I sat down to read Mr. Lee's novel about a predatory lender and the colorful group of characters bobbling about it. The characterizations are heavy-handed, yet curiously deft; there can be no doubt as you read about EmpiGroup and its no-holds-barred leader, Sandy Vyle, that you're getting a rollicking send up of Citigroup, the Borg corporation that glides through American financial life with the message that "resistance is futile."

This is not an English major's novel (Mr. Lee could have used a better proofreader and a tough editor), but if you're sick of corporations that run the world, government regulators who run interference for them, and journalists for whom the term "investigative" is a historical curiosity, then buy this book and enjoy several hours of a smart, funny writer who clearly enjoys mixing it up with the Big Boys. In the end the EmpiGroups of the world will win, but Mr. Lee gives them a few bruises to remember him by.

Rating:
Summary: Bender is a Must
Review: Predatory Bender is in the best of the Mucraking tradition. What Upton Sinclair is to exposing the meat industry, Matthew Lee is to exposing predatory lenders. This book is captivating; its characters are complex and leap off the page. The protagonist himself is complicated. Although he can be absolutely disgusting, he also shows remorse for his lending misdeeds and seeks, in his self-serving way, to expose the worse elements in the industry. To a well-read layperson, predatory lending is becoming too familiar through numerous media accounts of the last few years. Mr. Lee's book will hopefully push the national momentum to do something over the top, and will motivate Congress and the federal government to outlaw this heinous practice. Just as it was necessary for the federal government to create standards for the food industry, it is necessary for the government to establish strong protections in the lending industry so that hard-working families do not lose their wealth at the hands of predatory lenders. We all should thank Mr. Lee for making a valuable contribution to the national discourse over this pressing problem. Predatory Benders is a must read! Buy it for your loved ones for a holiday gift!

Rating:
Summary: Awful!
Review: While the goals of the author may be noble in that he's trying to combat the wrong that is predatory lending, this book is a litle too simple, a little too boring, and more than a little in need of an editor (Typos litter the book, but the stream of consciousness "writing style" is a little tough to take).

The book is a little too simplistic in its indictment of predatory lending. The thesis seems to be that caveat emptor should be turned on its head, and somehow multi-billion dollar corporations are supposed to step in a tell someone that they maybe shouldn't buy a new bed, or a new stereo from Rent-a-center, etc., or that consumers shouldn't bother reading contracts that they sign.

The author fails to understand that while predatory and abusive lending is bad, there may be a purpose for appropriate sub-prime lending. The author fails to grasp the notion that maybe loans to borrowers with poor credit records should be priced a little higher given the risk of lending to someone who has defaulted or been slow to pay in the past.