Foreclosure

Figures released Friday put July's job loss at 131,000 with the unemployment rate holding steady at 9.5 percent, though 71,000 jobs were added to the private sector. A recent report released by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors revealed job loss as one of the top factors contributing to home foreclosures in the state. Across the country, too many Americans have learned that the loss of one's job can be directly related to the loss of one's home.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is in the same boat as the banks now, dealing with a mortgage portfolio that's riddled with deficiencies and delinquencies. The central bank's New York branch has been saddled with a heap of souring loans from the assets it picked up to support the 2008 bailout of Bear Stearns. And now, as more and more of these loans - both residential and commercial - fall into default, the New York Fed is faced with a dilemma: to foreclose or not to foreclose.

Fannie Mae's second-quarter losses narrowed considerably from the demoralizing financials of the past several years that found the nation's largest mortgage financier underwater itself in a sea of red ink. The GSE reported Thursday that it lost $1.2 billion last quarter. It was Fannie's smallest loss in more than three years. The company also said it needs far less money from taxpayers this quarter - $1.5 billion. The company acquired 68,838 single-family REOs through foreclosure in Q2, and its seriously delinquent rate dropped to 4.99 percent.

The nation's REO stock fell 0.6 percent in May to 524,000 properties, according to Barclays Capital. In addition, the research firm estimates that housing's shadow inventory - which Barclays defines as the supply of homes nearing REO status - declined by 2.3 percent to 4.02 million properties. A separate study released by Clear Capital supports the assumption that indeed, there are fewer REOs influencing the market. The company says the percentage of bank-owned homes sold as compared to all properties sold dropped 22.7 percent during the May-July period.

State housing finance agencies in North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and South Carolina have been given the green light to use $600 million in federal funding to implement their own foreclosure prevention programs. These five states were designated as some of the nation's hardest-hit housing markets because of high unemployment -- local rates above 12 percent -- and concentrated areas of severe economic distress. The Treasury says another round of state grants is in the works, with $2 billion more allocated for local housing programs.

Fannie Mae has rolled out a new interactive online resource for homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments. It's KnowYourOptions.com, and it's designed to be a virtual one-stop-shop for anyone facing financial hardship and in need of foreclosure assistance. Eight months in the making, the site offers tools and guidance for refinancing, repayment plans, forbearance, modifications, Fannie Mae's Deed-for-Lease program, short sales, and deeds-in-lieu.

Deceptive mortgage relief marketers continue to prey on financially distressed homeowners, but one such company has been stopped in its tracks. Home Assure, LLC, has been charged by the Federal Trade Commission for deceiving consumers with promises that it could save their homes from foreclosure. To settle these charges, the company must refund customers $2.4 million, and it can no longer sell mortgage loan modification or foreclosure relief services.

Rumors of a new government-led mortgage refinancing program have begun to surface. DS News has received word from sources inside the administration and from high-ranking executives at some of the largest banks, confirming that the White House is indeed considering a refi push that would allow homeowners to lower their monthly mortgage obligations by locking in today's rock-bottom interest rates. Some industry insiders are viewing the move as a concession by the federal government that its existing housing programs aren't doing enough.

Infinity Valuation Services (IVS) announced Monday that it now provides a fully-automated inspection form to support its valuation services for distressed properties. The company works with thousands of real estate agents across the country to provide interior and exterior broker price opinions (BPOs), appraisals, and property inspections. IVS explained that as an integrated component of its BPO system, the new form now enables the company to tailor report information to streamline the inspection process.

Fannie Mae has opened a mortgage help center in the Windy City in order to provide counseling and other services for struggling homeowners in the greater metro area with loans owned by the GSE. The new center in Chicago is the second facility and third announced partnership in Fannie Mae's planned series of mortgage help centers across the country. The GSE said it partnered on this initiative with Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, major mortgage servicers, and civic and community leaders from across the region.