Coalition Proposes Mortgage Principal Reduction Plan

February 6, 2010 · 1 Comment 

This week a group of mortgage investors proposed a principal reduction plan to congress.  This proposal will encourage a new phase in the HAMP program and would also give homeowners the ability and  incentive to pay their mortgage loans.  These proposals are from the Mortgage Investors Coalition, lead by the Fortress Investment Group, a New [...]

Pending Home Sales Drop, Market Looks Bleak

January 8, 2010 · Comment 

The National Association of Realtors’ index on pending home sales dropped by 16% in November.  This is more than three times what economists expected to see.  The pending home sales index showed a decline in every region, 26% in the northeast and mid-west, 15% in the south and 3% in the west. The drop-off was [...]

Lenders Resist Making Home Affordable

December 16, 2009 · Comment 

The Treasury Department announced a total of 31,382 homeowners have received a permanent home loan modification since details of the program were announced in March.  4% of homeowners whose home loans were re-worked through the Making Home Affordable Program  have successfully completed the trial period to receive permanent modifications.  There are currently more than 728,000 [...]

FHA Planning Stricter Loan Requirements

December 4, 2009 · Comment 

The Federal Housing Administration is taking the first steps toward stricter loan requirements.  The FHA plans to “hold lenders accountable for their origination quality and compliance with FHA policy”.  These planned changes could put more pressure on an already struggling housing market.  Their plan is designed to limit the risks to the FHA loan portfolio, [...]

Permanent Loan Modifications Difficult To Achieve

November 16, 2009 · Comment 

The Making Home Affordable Program has begun trial modifications for more than 650,000 eligible borrowers since being launched in February.  According to data released by the Treasury Department, 1 in 5 eligible homeowners has enrolled in the program.  Almost 900,000 borrowers have been offered trial modification plans and servicers have distributed over 2 million request [...]

Making Home Affordable?

October 29, 2009 · Comment 

A new study out from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston concluded that “lenders expect to recover more from foreclosure than from a modified loan”. The reason?  Only about 30% of homeowners that fall behind on their mortgage payments are able to start paying again without lender intervention.  When loans are modified, 30% to 45% [...]

Democrats Say Lenders Are Falling Short

October 2, 2009 · Comment 

Four U.S. Democrats introduced legislation on Wednesday that would slow record high foreclosure rates and stabilize the housing market. “This bill will force lenders to modify qualified mortgages, create a homeowners assistance program and give states a bigger role in mediation efforts, says Senator Dick Durbin (D), adding, voluntary efforts to keep families in their [...]

Obama’s Mortgage Relief Plan

March 8, 2009 · Comment 

Under the Housing Affordability and Stabilization Plan,  lenders will be given incentives to try to slow foreclosures.  The plan may help up to 5 million homeowners refinance mortgages, which they have been unable to because they owe more than 80 percent of the home’s value. The plan also provides incentives for lenders who modify the [...]