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Tag Archives: Foreclosure Prevention

FHA Program for Underwater Borrowers Now Underway

Tuesday marked the start of a new government housing program designed to help the millions of Americans who owe more on the mortgage than their home is worth. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is now offering certain non-FHA borrowers with negative equity the chance to refinance into a new FHA-insured loan, as long as existing lien holders will write off at least 10 percent of the unpaid principal balance. Officials suggest the program will provide 500,000 to 1.5 million underwater borrowers with new mortgages, but analysts say the number is closer to 250,000.

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Lawmakers Challenge Fannie Mae’s New Policy on Strategic Defaulters

A faction of House Democrats have called on Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Fannie Mae's regulator to suspend the GSE's recently announced policy to sue homeowners who strategically default on their mortgage. The group of lawmakers, led by Rep. John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan, called the policy ""opaque, overbroad, and punitive."" They decried Fannie for using taxpayer dollars to penalize underwater homeowners, and maintained that the policy runs counter to the national need to stem a devastating tide of foreclosures.

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Loan Modifications Surpass One Million Mark for 2010

The industry has completed 1.13 million permanent loan modifications for at-risk homeowners so far in 2010, according to data released Wednesday by HOPE NOW. The organization also reports that since January of this year, mortgage delinquencies of 60 days or more past due have dropped 20 percent, but the data supports the assumption that the decline is simply the byproduct of an increase in foreclosures. July's foreclosure starts outpaced loan mods during the month by nearly 90 percent.

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Servicers Fail to Deliver on Loan Mod Best Practices: J.D. Power

U.S. consumers are less satisfied with their experience during the loan modification process than they are during loan origination, namely because mortgage servicers are missing the mark when it comes to delivering on best practices, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The company's survey found that mortgage servicers fail to adhere to a time frame for approval, don't provide the customer with status updates, and repeatedly ask borrowers for the same information. BB&T ranks highest in customer satisfaction among mortgage servicers.

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Chase Moves to Speed Loan Mod Evaluations

Chase says it ""remains committed to helping customers avoid foreclosure."" In an announcement issued Wednesday, the bank outlined several key initiatives it has undertaken to better serve borrowers who are struggling with their mortgage payments, including adding 8,000 loan counselors and staffers to work directly with homeowners, assigning a specific counselor to each customer, and establishing a centralized location for document collection and imaging.

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Nearly Two-Thirds of Delinquent Mortgages Untouched: Study

According to a report from state attorneys general and bank supervisors from across the country, more than 60 percent of homeowners with seriously delinquent loans are still not involved in any form of loss mitigation with their servicer. The ratio is disconcerting considering the group also found that loan modifications today are resulting in significant payment reductions with fewer redefaults. Absent improvements in foreclosure prevention efforts, the group expects hundreds of thousands of foreclosures will occur later this year.

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GSEs’ Foreclosure Pipelines Will Grow Well into 2011: S&P

Despite the continued efforts of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to find sustainable workouts for delinquent borrowers, the analysts at Standard & Poor's expect the GSEs' foreclosure inventories to continue to swell. The two companies have each already completed about 40 percent more workout volume during the first half of 2010 than they did in all of 2009. Still, the ratings agency says annualized loan workout activity (as a percentage of existing delinquent loans) remains less than half at both institutions.

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New HAMP Report Disappoints, as Half Fall out of Trial Program

The administration released new numbers Friday on the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Housing analysts and market observers say the results are disappointing at best. The latest report shows that nearly half of the homeowners approved for trial modifications have fallen out of the program. And during July, servicers converted just 36,695 HAMP trials to permanent status, a significant slow-down considering growth in permanent mods averaged more than 50,000 a month throughout the first half of this year.

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Financial Asset Services Launches Door Knock Service

Financial Asset Services, Inc. (FAS) has launched a new door knock service to help mortgage servicers with loss mitigation. The company says successful door knocks can lead to discussions of short sale transactions or deed-in-lieu negotiations for the servicer and allow homeowners to leave the property on their own terms.

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NY Banking Department Issues New Regulations for Mortgage Servicers

In its efforts to protect homeowners and avoid another mortgage and foreclosure crisis, the New York State Banking Department has issued new rules regarding the business practices of mortgage loan servicers. The regulations, which go into effect October 1, include halting foreclosure actions for borrowers being considered for, or currently in, a trial or permanent modification, as well as developing procedures for consumer complaints and ensuring homeowners do not have to submit multiple copies of required documents.

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