Fifteen months into the worst credit crisis in decades, major banks and the federal government are coming together on a solution for struggling mortgage borrowers.
The goal is to hasten the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans, either those held by major banks or held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giants that faltered and were taken over by the government this summer.
Renegotiating loans for struggling homeowners has taken on more urgency as jobless claims rise and the economy declines. Housing prices continue to fall, leaving many with mortgages greater than the value of their homes, and banks continue to suffer major credit losses as a result.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, the regulator for Fannie and Freddie, has announced its own sweeping plan.
The agency is targeting delinquent borrowers who haven't filed for bankruptcy. The goal is to modify mortgages for borrowers who can support payments but make sure those payments don't make up more than 38% of their income.
James Lockhart, head of the agency, urged U.S. mortgage servicing firms–companies that process payments of loans rather than owning them outright–to adopt the plan as a national standard.
For the government, halting the steady slide in housing prices is the holy grail of all of its big plans to prop up the ailing banking system. It is throwing trillions of dollars at shoring-up banks caught in the housing mess, but nothing has, so far, put a floor under the plunging housing prices at the heart of the credit crisis. Going at the problem from the perspective of a borrower is yet another way to achieve that end.
We'd love to know your opinion. Do you think this latest plan will do anything to halt this mortgage meltdown?
******************************************************************************************
Best Buyer’s Broker Realty is an Exclusive Buyer Agent specializing in Long Island real estate (Nassau and Suffolk properties) and neighboring Queens County properties.
We don’t take any seller listings (yet we have more homes for you to see than most agents) and never have any potential conflict of interest like other agents who also represent sellers. We represent buyers only, 100% of the time. We can show you more homes for sale because we have access to MLS, FSBOs, Exclusives (homes that agents try to keep secret), foreclosures and homes not on the market that may be of interest to you.
We are not your traditional real estate agent. Our goal is to advise and protect home buyers and help them obtain the lowest price and best terms on their dream home. Call us at 516-887-6901 to see how we can help you save time and money. Or visit our sites at http://bestbuyersbroker.com or http://bestbuyerbroker.com.
******************************************************************************************
Comments(1)