The recession in the U.S. economy has resulted in more foreclosures than experienced by any other generation of Americans. Yet well-funded investors in real estate are seizing upon this opening to profit from an profoundly profitable new opportunity.

That opportunity is called Bulk REO Investing, and the opportunity is huge.

The basis of the Bulk REO business is foreclosures, so let's analyze the foreclosure process now.

Understanding of the foreclosure process is central to understanding Bulk REO investing.

As a home owner misses a payment or two, the lender sends the predictable barage of threatening letters and warnings. The official foreclosure proceedings begin subsequently, as directed by the lender. The 'pre-foreclosure' time starts with filing of foreclosure paperwork and concludes at public auction.

Foreclosure is completed when the defaulted property is auctioned. If there are no buyers at the foreclosure auction, the lender regains title to the property. The property then receives the designation of being an 'REO' or the more formal name, 'Real Estate Owned'.

Lenders usually try to unload their REO properties at close to retail price by listing their REO's with a real estate broker. However, lenders are increasingly willing to take much less than their REO asset is actually worth. Lenders are willing to do so in exchange for the buyer's agreement to purchase a 'package' of REO's rather than a single property.

The REO investment packages available today have provided a way to profitably capitalize on the U.S. recession. Bulk REO Investors are most successful when they have a well-established source of funding for their REO packages. Some sources of funding for these transactions are: personal funds, hard money lenders, commercial lenders and non-conventional sources such as private investors and hedge funds. Additionally, one man is becoming very well known in the field of bulk REO investing, and his name is Sal Bushemi of Dandrew Capital Partners, a New-York based hedge fund.