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Hope for Homeowners

By
Mortgage and Lending with Liberty One Lending

The Bush Administration announced the launch of the so-called “Hope for Homeowners” program today aimed at helping more at-risk borrowers stay in their homes.

The program, initially approved back in July, will allow borrowers struggling to keep up with monthly mortgage payments refinance into sustainable 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, so long as the loan amount doesn’t exceed $550,440.

It is only available for owner-occupied properties who do not own any other properties, such as second homes or investment properties, and the new mortgage must not exceed 90 percent loan-to-value of the new appraised value.

 Additionally, the borrower must be able to prove that their current mortgage is unaffordable, and as of March 2008, their total monthly mortgage payment must have exceeded 31 percent of their gross monthly income.

 In order to be eligible, the existing mortgage must have been originated on or before January 1, 2008, and six payments must have been already been made.

Diane Hudzik
Keller Williams - Ann Arbor, MI
Washtenaw/Livingston/WesternWayne

Mike,

I was told at a class on the topic of the Hope for Homeowners Act, that the borrower would pay back 50% of any equity gained from the time this loan was taken, not from the time they purchased the home. Do you know anything about this? That doesn't seem quite as draconian as the govt. benefiting from a large gain in equity over the entire ownership period.

Diane

Oct 25, 2008 06:36 AM