But since 1996, FHA's share of the mortgage market has dropped from 32% to 6%, largely because the private sector began offering exotic (read: easier to qualify for) products--such as adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs--to an increasingly risky pool of investors.
Oil prices fell something like 15% in the third quarter as markets began to price in the prospects for substantially slower growth across the developed world and tightening in the fast-growing emerging markets. (Read Oil Down More Than 15% This Quarter As Sector Stocks Price In Recession).