The 31% Solution for Mortgage Modification
When I first got a place of my own, I was told that a week of income should cover my housing expenses. Today, the US Department of Housing and Urban…
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Mortgage Modification Milestone
Today the US Treasury passed a benchmark in its efforts to help troubled homeowners. Half a million borrowers have had their mortgage payments modified under the Obama administration’s Making Home…
New Mortgage Rules
Most of us have little trouble shopping for a car. When we compare mileage, horse power and options like power steering and transmissions, we get it. In fact teenage boys can…
New Short Sale Program
Not all distressed borrowers can save their homes. As mortgage relief triage, the Obama Administration has emphasized loan modification and refinance , yet the effort is falling far short of the…
FTC Seeks Ban on Upfront Loan Modification Fees
Yesterday the Federal Trade Commission, in a unanimous 4-0 vote sought to protect distressed mortgage borrowers from one of the biggest sources of fraud in the loan modification business, charging…
Slide in Home Values Threatens Loan Modification Pace
Despite a concerted effort by the Obama Administration with its Making Home Affordable Program to modify and refinance home loans, data released this week shows that only 9% of the…
Strategic Default?
One of the most significant factors in mortgage delinquency is whether or not a home is underwater. Some like University of Arizona law professor Roger Lowenstein in yesterday’s NY Times…
If Keeping Your Home Seems Hard, It Is
If it sometimes seems like an uphill battle to keep your home, it is.Mortgage servicers vary greatly in how they approach loan modification. According to the July US Treasury Department…
Interest Rate Rise Adds Urgency to Acting Now
If you’ve been procrastinating about refinancing your mortgage, you could be in for a surprise. After flirting with near historic lows in late April, and hovering around 5% in May,…
When to Consider a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure
Sometimes it’s impossible to save your home. If you can no longer make even modified mortgage payments, it’s time to consider transferring your deed to your lender in lieu of…