Edward B. Kramer

Edward B. Kramer (August 2, 1965) is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based attorney turned Real-Estate developer, who was involved in the post-Katrina re-development of South Louisiana. Kramer predicted overdevelopment of the Gulf-South contrary to conventional wisdom at the time and part of the 2008 financial crisis which saw stocks plummet, and a near financial meltdown occur in the U.S. Financial Markets.
History and achievements
Kramer graduated from LSU with a degree in Economics, and LSU Law School with honors. A member of the LSU Law Review authoring Louisiana Lender Liability, in 1990, during the height of the 1980s Real Estate Crisis in South Louisiana.
Kramer was a newspaper columnist, Trade Show promoter, attorney, and ultimately a real estate developer.
Kramer was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1995, where he was involved in the case Watterson v. Mallard Bay Drilling, 649 S. 2d 431, 1994, writ denied, 515 U.S. 1118 (1995) In this case, The Supreme Court applied the FELA Rule that a violation of a safety regulation negated the contributory negligence of an injured seaman, winning a large verdict for his client.
Another case occurred on Christmas Eve in 1989, when the Exxon Refinery in Baton Rouge, LA sustained a massive fire and explosion and Ed was involved in the litigation.
Kramer is noted for his quote after Hurricane Katrina where he said: "After Katrina, lenders lent and builders built on the assumption that Baton Rouge would get a huge permanent population increase that never materialized." Further he emphatically stated that the area had a run-up in prices for lots and homes, but never had a comparable downturn; a significant price drop was inevitable.
Kramer was often called upon to ascertain the demand for housing in the aftermath of this unprecedented natural disaster. It was his background in economics, his knowledge of the market, and the demographic patterns of the displacement of over 1 million people that led him to foretell that the mortgage-backed securities based upon the real-estate being developed and sold - much of it with little or no money down - in the Gulf Region, was not on solid ground, despite the proclamations to the contrary by the U.S. Federal Reserve and others at the time.
Personal life
After suffering from a stroke in 2013, and a divorce from 24-year marriage in 2016, Kramer lives a partially retired life. He assisted the Sigma Chi Fraternity with the re-issuance of a book, written in 1976 by Louisiana Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne Milk and Donuts Forever, with all proceeds going to assist the LSU Chaper of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Kramer lives in Baton Rouge, La.

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