Why Americans Cope With Mortgage Mania

Re “Mortgage Guessing Game,” editorial, Jan. 12: We recently got a loan from Barclays Bank for 30,000 pounds to purchase a holiday home. The cost of the loan was 200 pounds for a valuation. That was it. We were given 30,000 pounds and bought our home. No other costs were involved. That is how the United Kingdom handles most of its home loans. It was simple, easy and cheap.

But in the “land of the free and home of the brave,” the Americans are getting ripped off. No doubt because big business runs the country, the little guys end up paying through the nose for just about everything, such as health care and real estate fees.

God bless America. We need all the blessings we can get, providing there is no charge.

Kathleen Beenham

Basingstoke, Hants, UK