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Tag Archives: Foreclosure Prevention

HARP Refis Maintain Strong Pace as Rates Stay Low

Year-to-date, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have refinanced nearly 800,000 loans through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported Thursday. Since HARP's 2009 inception, the program has refinanced 1.8 million loans, with 790,619 of those loans refinanced in 2012 as of October. In October alone, more than 81,613 homeowners were refinanced through the program. Underwater loans continued to find relief through the program, with a little less than half of the loans refinanced in October in negative equity.

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HOPE NOW: 5.9M Completed Mods Since 2007; Short Sales Increase

Short sales continued to increase in October, while foreclosure starts fell, according to data from HOPE NOW. Completed short sales reached 38,518 in October, representing a 13 percent increase from September. Meanwhile, HOPE NOW also reported nearly 6 million struggling homeowners have received a permanent modification since 2007. Among the modifications, 4.8 million were proprietary loan modifications, while 1.1 million mods were through the government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

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Webinar Addresses Pending 2013 HAFA Short Sale Changes

On Monday, the CDPE hosted a webinar to discuss short sale updates through the government’s Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA), which is part of the Making Home Affordable program. Laurie Maggiano, director of policy at Treasury's homeownership preservation office, and Alex Charfen, CEO of the Charfen Institute, led the conversation on the updates. The new policy changes for HAFA will take effect February 1, 2013, but servicers can begin implementing the changes earlier. One of the updates discussed during the webinar is the requirement for servicers to make a decision on a borrower's request for a HAFA short sale within 30 days.

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Groups Gather to Assist New York Homeowners Impacted by Sandy

Over the weekend, key players gathered in Long Island to assist struggling homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy. The HOPE NOW Alliance organized the event, which provided face-to-face help from mortgage servicers, non-profit housing counseling organizations, and insurance companies, among others.

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HPF and Tennessee AG Partner to Offer Homeowner Hotline

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) and Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper forged a partnership to offer a statewide hotline specifically for distressed homeowners in the state. The hotline for Tennessee residents is 855.876.7283 and offers free information and referrals to foreclosure prevention and mortgage counseling.

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Study Argues FHA’s Underwriting Policies Set Families Up for Failure

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has a mission of making the American dream of homeownership accessible to low- and moderate-income families and first-time homebuyers. However, due to FHA's underwriting policies and practices, Edward Pinto, resident at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), argued the administration has instead put ""a high percentage of low- and moderate-income families and communities at risk of excessively high foreclosure rates.""

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Foreclosure Starts Plunge to 71-Month Low, REO Activty Increases

A significant drop in foreclosure starts brought down foreclosure activity in November, according to a foreclosure report from RealtyTrac. Foreclosure starts were filed on 77,494 U.S. properties in November, a 71-month low and the lowest level since December 2006, RealtyTrac reported Thursday. The decrease represents a 13 percent drop from October and a 28 percent decline from November 2011. While foreclosure starts fell, bank repossessions rose annually for the first time in 25 months.

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Trulia: 93% of Young Renters Plan to Become Owners

Consumers are becoming more positive toward the idea of homeownership as home prices rise and the threat of delinquencies and foreclosures subside, Trulia reported Wednesday. Confidence in future ownership is especially prevalent among young renters. According to Trulia's American Dream survey, 93 percent of renters between the ages of 18 and 34 plan to purchase a home some day. For 31 percent of renters, that ""some day"" is actually within the next two years, an increase from 28 percent in May 2012 and 22 percent in January 2011.

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New PSAs Seek to Deliver Message of Hope to At-Risk Borrowers

Treasury, HUD, and the Ad Council are reaching out to struggling homeowners with a message of hope. On Wednesday, the groups announced the launch of the third and final phase of their Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Public Service Advertising (PSA) Campaign. With data showing nearly one in 14 homeowners knows what it means to be behind on a mortgage payment, the campaign aims to identify those struggling homeowners and educate them about the free resources available to help prevent foreclosure.

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