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Heloc Freezes What does it mean to you

Millions of Americans Waking Up To The Reality

That Their Homes Have Lost Value.

Major mortgage lenders have been mailing letters to home

Owners telling them that their Home Equity Lines Of Credit (HELOC) have been shut down.

Lenders have been quietly accessing and reappraising home values. Lenders are now exercising their rights to ‘shut off' or in some cases terminate existing HELOCs. They do this when they believe that the property has lost value. This is happening across the country to borrowers with stellar credit as well as those will troubled credit.

When this happens there is no clear path to regaining access to your HELOC. All those expense closing costs and points for that HELOC you thought you had....lost.

This is a partial list of the Mortgage Lenders who are sending Heloc freeze letters now.

Bank of America- Heloc Freeze pending

Countrywide-  Heloc Freeze already sent

Chase- Heloc Freezes Sent

CitiGroup-  Heloc Freeze under review

National City- Heloc Freeze Sent

Suntrust- Heloc Freezes

USAA Federal Savings-  Heloc freeze status unknown.

Washington Mutual- Heloc Freeze Likely as acquisition by chase nears

If you need the HELOC money for some upcoming expense we suggest you take it out now before its too late.

How Can My Lender Freeze My HELOC?

What Can You Do Now........

You just received notice in the mail that your Home Equity Line Of Credit is frozen or best case the amount you can borrow is just reduced.

The money in your HELOC was going to go to pay for college tuition, a new car or maybe health expenses. You paid hundreds and sometimes thousands to secure the HELOC in the first place...

 
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21 Comments on Heloc Freezes What does it mean to you

FEB
25
2008
691,546 Points 9 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp
Wow this is scary. It is a sign of the times,. The times I do believe are changing for the better
7:25am • #1
While this may be somewhat shocking to the homeowner who was expecting draw more cash from their HELOC, do the lenders really have any options?  Isnt this the prudent thing to do in this market?  Also, depending on the loan to value, would it really be wise for people to add more debt in this market?  I think not.
7:28am • #2
111,429 Points
If the banks think this is going to help business or help bail them out I think they are wrong. In general when a business is in trouble I have always felt you need to increase you business not stop the business you already have. When ever my business slows down I get back to basics and try to generate more business not kill what I already have.
7:30am • #3
Well, I agree with Timothy.  If the banks can stop the borrower from getting more money, they are really being responsible.  Overstated appraisals and pushy loan officers are partly responsible for this to begin with.  I am happy to see this, maybe a few less foreclosures!
7:39am • #4
325,065 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Thomas I would have to agree...however it seems that the first thing barrow do when they get in trouble is barrow more money to get out of trouble and when that does not work they then try and sell or ( short sale). I think the real solution is not to just freeze but to review the process and put in stronger guide lines.

A fear I see is that buyers who are buying foreclosure homes and far below market, 3-6 months in getting a Home Equity Line to buy home number 2 and 3 and 4 adn when number one falls the house of cards starts to fall.Caution seems to be the word of the day.

7:42am • #5
1,224,443 Points 262 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

 

Oh no! I have an appointment at the bank today to discuss a line of credit. I guess timing IS everything!

7:44am • #6
325,065 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog
Patrice you as an appraiser are calling out your peers... good job.. I respect you for not being afraid to dig in the bucket and say good apple bad apple or should we say true professional vs greedy apple.. heck as an appraiser you get bad based on the job not the evaluation, so that you are honest, what would lead an appraiser to inflate a value I wounder
7:48am • #7
296,965 Points 3 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router
Thats why I think we are in the situation we are in, you shouldnt be paying your childs tuition or cars. Your house is not an ATM. Now with that said I am in the process of doing a HELOC but I own my home no mortgages nothing and Im not taking an astronomically amount. 
7:57am • #8
325,065 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog
I agree Heather, I am a 30 yr fixed guy and in my mind that means every month I move one more month closer to owning my home. Guess I have watched its a wonderful life one to many times.. where he pays off the house and he gets the deed... now I have done it with a car I want to do it with a house and borrowing money out of the house seems to move me away from that goal.
8:06am • #9
111,429 Points
If they are shutting down active HELOCs they need to be very selective. I f someone has good enough credit and are financially sound and capable of make their payment they should not be shut down. On the other hand those who are having trouble making the payment new to be addressed.
8:58am • #10
333,729 Points 5 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Eric, HELOCs are not the smartest investment when you think about it. I have to agree with Heather that the house should not be an ATM. We need to figure out a better way of doing it. And usually, if you just cash out the first, you can save a ton of money in interest anyway.
9:17am • #11
FEB
26
2008

Eric, perhaps you were not serious but we have so much pressure to make value..."if you can get this value, you got the job" or..."these people really need this number or they will lose their home" or..."I have 5 more in the pipeline for you, just get this one done for me"...I could go on and on.  Keeping on the straight and narrow ain't always easy!!!  this needs to stop and I am glad banks/lenders are starting.  I actually get orders now without an estimated value YAHOO...let me do my job!!!

1:43pm • #12
325,065 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Really the therm Make Value implies that you know the loan amount before you walk up to the door.

I all ways have the image that the appraiser like justice is blind to everything except the facts. Trust me I had to meet with a client that over paid on a home last year by $100 or it seems to be worth maybe 250 and he paid 350+ when I asked him how he said the lender should him an appraisal for that much and more.. better yet when I asked him how did you find the lender he said the seller (investor) recommended him as he could get in with 0 / 0 and zero.. If it looks like and duck and you call it a swan after you put in new carpet and paint .. how long till it turns back into a duck. He is now facing foreclosure.

 

3:34pm • #13
AAARRRGGGHHH....boy I hate those stories... People are not educated.  I feel so sorry for these people.  I am asked to "comp out" before going so I say no before getting the order.  I don't want to be pushed into making a value so I offer a yes or not if they give me info and that just means that I think we can work with the parameters or not...I don't love it but it is better than going out and having people crying because the can't afford to pay me...
5:57pm • #14
FEB
27
2008
507,192 Points 9 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master
You know what they say "One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. And in this case,this is what's going on. I really so sorry for home owners who were going to use money reversed in their HELOC only to find out that its gone. Great post.
1:19am • #15
325,065 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

I am grateful for being able to help out those that have watched their homes value fall through the floor as result of this just make the numbers work lenders of yesterday that today will not return calls.

7:15pm • #16
MAR
04
2008

Here is a new wrinkle - National City is now not allowing people to refinance their 1st mortgage and keep their reduced HELOC in 2nd lien position (basically no subordinations).  I would imagine that this concept will grow and other banks will follow suit soon.

4:05pm • #17
APR
05
2008
I'm all for responsibility, but when WAMU drops your limit just enough so that you can't make the final payout on your 100K addition...YIKES!!  I was told that, if I paid for a new appraisal through WAMU and the amount wasn't as low as the computer spit out, then we would get the original limit reinstated no problem.  How can that be legal??
JP
3:14am • #18
APR
19
2008
More idiocy from the banks. As most small investors use HELOCs to fund thier purchases of foreclosure/reo properties, banks are going to see their REO's going for less. The smart thing to do would be making HELOC's to investors their top priorty.
Curt Phillips
10:14am • #19
JUN
06
2008

JP- The answer is- it may not be legal.  I know that some of the banks have provisions where they will release those funds if you show them you have a signed contract for work.  The banks are going to find themselves in hot water with this generalized practice of freezing all equity lines.  A form letter stating that your home value has declined is not sufficient to comply with terms of the loan agreements.  The agreements usually say that the equity line may be suspended or reduced if your home significantly declines in value.  The burden of proof is on the bank to prove that element.  In my case, National City has refused to provide me with their valuation report, odd, especially since my neighborhood has actually had a slight increase in value.  They want me to pay almost $800 for an appraisal, when they charged me half of that less than a year ago to establish value.  The burden of proof is theirs, not mine, and more people need to challenge the banks when they operate outside of the contractual law.  The other unfair business practice is that they usually will freeze your entire credit line even if they allege your value has only declined a small percentage of that.  Then, there is the matter of defining significant decline- that is very subjective, and if you are in the 10% range, i would suggest that is for a judge to decide...

LP
8:41am • #20
JUN
17
2008

Just had my converstation with Chase.  $25,000 to zero in 1 second.  Lovely.  Can't close it.  That would cost me $258.    So I have this frozen "open" line of credit out there.  I have excellent credit and have no credit card debt.  Just the mortgage and that HELOC with no charges on it.

 

But I had to call my contractor to cancel putting in the wood floors downstairs. I'm only happy that I didn't sign the contract yet to order the wood.

 

I'm pissed.  I didn't fall for the scams by the loan industry to trap and take advantage of Americans but I'm still caught up in their greed cycle. 

I could take the money out of my savings but I was looking for the tax deduction so I guess the AZ economy has to do without me remodeling the home.   Goodbye new appliances in the kitchen too.

 

PO'd in Phoenix
7:19pm • #21

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Eric Reid

Lawrenceville, GA

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Renaissance Realty Group

Address: 162 East Crogan Street, B, Lawrenceville, GA, 30046

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