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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    'Americons'

    Americons is probably the only film in history that centers on a real estate loan. The “Option Adjustable Rate Mortgage” was one of the risky mortgages that got people into deep trouble when the housing bubble burst. They also helped bring down lenders Countrywide and Washington Mutual.

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    KCRW placeholderBy Barbara Bogaev • Jan 22, 2015 • 1 min read

    Americons is probably the only film in history that centers on a real estate loan. The “Option Adjustable Rate Mortgage” was one of the risky mortgages that got people into deep trouble when the housing bubble burst. They also helped bring down lenders Countrywide and Washington Mutual. Americons is a thriller of sorts, based on the experiences of the film’s star, Beau Martin Williams. He was a former college football player and aspiring actor who was working the door of a hip Hollywood nightclub when a patron offered him a chance to make it big in the high-flying mortgage business.

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Managing Measles, Upending the Food Pyramid, and Obama’s Millennial Bid
    1. 0:00How to Handle a Measles Outbreak
    2. 9:00Should Climate Change Affect the Food Pyramid?
    3. 16:37Obama’s Millennial Media Tour and More
    4. 27:03'Americons'You’re reading this
    5. 42:10Plus-Size Fashion Goes Mainstream
    • KCRW placeholder

      Barbara Bogaev

      radio journalist

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Andrew Walsh

      Too Beautiful to Live

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Beau Martin Williams

      writer and actor, 'Americons'

      News

    The full episode

    4 of 5
    Managing Measles, Upending the Food Pyramid, and Obama’s Millennial Bid
    1. 0:00How to Handle a Measles Outbreak
    2. 9:00Should Climate Change Affect the Food Pyramid?
    3. 16:37Obama’s Millennial Media Tour and More
    4. 27:03'Americons'You’re reading this
    5. 42:10Plus-Size Fashion Goes Mainstream
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand