How a Vegas Whale, and Many More, Tap Billions Meant for US Housing
Cheap funding from the $1.4 trillion FHLB system attracts savvy financiers, including some who have little to do with mortgage lending
A poker table in Las Vegas
Photographer: Jacob Kepler/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
As prices across the US climbed last year, Texas tycoon and legendary high-stakes poker player Andy Beal saw a chance to profit. All he needed was several billion dollars to wager on inflation.
Two banks he owns got the money, leaning hard on an unexpected source. They pulled $4.4 billion from a government system created during the Great Depression to help Americans get mortgages, regulatory filings show.