Mortgage Loan Modification: FDIC, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Are Here to Help Homeowners.

Listen in on a Interview I did on Loan Modifications and the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Streamline Loan Modification Program

Need help with a mortgage loan modification of If you are behind on your mortgage payments

this column will provide you with some useful information.

There is a lot of talk these days from all lender, the FDIC and both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with regards to mortgage loan modification.  I think its great that these companies and institutions have stepped up to help homeowners but I have also found that many mortgage loan modifications can be potentially dangerous.  You can find out more information on that topic in this post on Mortgage Loan Modification Terms.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: If you are current on your mortgage payments we can help there as well.  It requires additional footwork but can be done if we provide the bank with a very “good reason.”  I often find it easy to find the reason because it can be as simple and your debt to income ratio or being self employed or you have declining income.  All these things are ‘reasons’ we give to the bank as to why they need to help you with a note modification.

To have me review your scenario please email me at Brent@brentlane.net with Mortgage Loan Modification as the subject

FAST TRACK WORKOUTS FOR DELINQUENT BORROWERS WITH FREDDIE MAC-OWNED MORTGAGES UNDERWAY

Washington, DC – Seriously delinquent borrowers with mortgages owned by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae can now take advantage of a new Streamlined Modification Program designed to make mortgage payments more affordable so more families can avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.   The Streamlined Mod Program officially went into effect on December 15, three days after Freddie Mac sent detailed implementation instructions to its servicers.

Announced on November 11, 2008 with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Fannie Mae and the HOPE Now Alliance, the Streamlined Modification Program replaces several time-consuming steps in a traditional loan modification with a faster uniform process that uses standard eligibility requirements and documents.

“This initiative builds on Freddie Mac’s current loss mitigation efforts, which are on track to provide three out of five of our seriously delinquent borrowers with a workout this year,” said David M. Moffett, Freddie Mac’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Our alliance with FHFA, Fannie Mae, and the HOPE Now Alliance will help our industry bring relief to thousands of distressed homeowners.”

Under the Streamlined Modification Program, mortgage and escrow payments can be cut to 38 percent or less of an eligible borrower’s gross monthly income by one or more of the following steps as necessary: reducing mortgage rates, extending the mortgage term up to 40 years, or forbearing part of the principal. To be eligible, borrowers must own and occupy the property as a primary residence, have missed at least three mortgage payments and not filed for bankruptcy.

Borrowers should contact their servicers if they think they may qualify.  At the same time, servicers will be identifying eligible borrowers and reaching out to them through the mail.

If an affordable payment cannot be achieved through the Streamlined Modification Program, servicers will evaluate borrowers through the traditional modification process. Servicers will also continue reaching out to distressed borrowers as early as possible to determine their eligibility for a workout or other foreclosure alternative.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than five million renters.