Tag Archives: Senator Bob Menendez

Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, cited preliminary findings in the FHFA’s annual housing report. The Senator noted that Freddie Mac had failed to meet its single-family low- and very low-income home purchase goals last year and asked Watt what the agency is going to do to make corrections in these two areas.

The Senators cited a recent report by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) which alleged that REO properties in minority-dominated neighborhoods were more than twice as likely to have deficiencies such significant amounts of trash and debris, and unsecured, broken, or damaged doors than REO properties in predominantly white neighborhoods.

Menendez's bill seeks to help both homeowners and lenders. In exchange for reducing the amount of principal owed, banks would be entitled to a portion of any future increase in value the home might experience. This gives the underwater homeowners relief on their mortgages while banks take a short-term reduction in exchange for a long-term gain pending the housing market recovery.