Fallout from the US mortgage and credit crisis spread last night as Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co, HSBC Holdings and Lehman Brothers Holdings announced job cuts.
Mortgage lenders announced plans to cut more than 4,000 jobs, bringing the total of announced housing-related job losses in the last week to 12,600.
Many of the cuts related to subprime lending, which involves loans to people with weaker credit.
Despite the problems, US stocks advanced yesterday, however, as takeover activity resurfaced, and investors gained confidence that the credit markets could stabilise, especially if the US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.
Accredited, a San Diego-based subprime specialist, will cut 1,600 of its 2,600 total jobs and shut most of its retail and wholesale operations by September 5th. It also stopped taking loan applications.
Lehman, one of Wall Street's biggest mortgage bond underwriters, will close its subprime unit, BNC Mortgage, get rid of 1,200 jobs, and take $52 million in charges.
It plans to continue making mortgages through its Aurora Loan Services unit.