Various Forms of Assistance for Responsible Homeowners

The latest effort of the Obama administration to assist the housing market is aimed at homeowners with solid credit and is making on-time payments on their mortgages but is unable to refinance because they own underwater homes in falling markets.

President Obama is set to announce his plan in Nevada, a primary state that he hopes to win in 2012. Since the peak of the housing market bust, the prices of home in Nevada fell by 53%. In the metro area of Las Vegas, the prices decreased by 59%. It has been reported that there has been no refinancing activity for borrowers who are underwater in the area. The president’s plan is designed to change this.

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A series of changes that will lighten the load of responsible borrowers at the moment will be announced. This is to help them take advantage of the good mortgage rates at present. According to the new regulations, homeowners with good credit who has missed a payment for a period of one year can still be considered as a responsible current borrower.

The advice of the administration officials is that the homeowners will no longer be requested to get an appraisal or required to undergo a full credit check. According to the official, if the payments have been current, it is already the lender who owns the risk. They also plan to get rid of the so called risk based fees that are currently charged on bad credit homeowners. This will raise the benefits of refinancing and eliminate hassle.

The administration official informs the CNN that they have been working out and coordinating the issue with FHFA and the banks. Then, the FHFA will contemplate on the proper guidelines and inform banks about them by November 15. Homeowners can start applying for the refinancing until after the 15th of November.

Between the present days until the 15th, the FHFA can think of including another category of homeowners in the plan. It is possible that the changes will be extended to bad credit homeowners who have home equities and have been current in their payments.

A government official shares that plans are continuously made to address the larger housing problems that affect the entire market. These will be announced in the future.

Previously, the administration already announced the forbearance for homeowners for up to one year if they lost their jobs. This allows homeowners to delay mortgage payments while unemployed.

Related articles

• Refi plan: If homeowners win, someone else loses (sfgate.com)

Various Forms of Assistance for Responsible Homeowners

The latest effort of the Obama administration to assist the housing market is aimed at homeowners with solid credit and is making on-time payments on their mortgages but is unable to refinance because they own underwater homes in falling markets.

President Obama is set to announce his plan in Nevada, a primary state that he hopes to win in 2012. Since the peak of the housing market bust, the prices of home in Nevada fell by 53%. In the metro area of Las Vegas, the prices decreased by 59%. It has been reported that there has been no refinancing activity for borrowers who are underwater in the area. The president’s plan is designed to change this.

A series of changes that will lighten the load of responsible borrowers at the moment will be announced. This is to help them take advantage of the good mortgage rates at present. According to the new regulations, homeowners with good credit who has missed a payment for a period of one year can still be considered as a responsible current borrower.

Image via Wikipedia

The advice of the administration officials is that the homeowners will no longer be requested to get an appraisal or required to undergo a full credit check. According to the official, if the payments have been current, it is already the lender who owns the risk. They also plan to get rid of the so called risk based fees that are currently charged on bad credit homeowners. This will raise the benefits of refinancing and eliminate hassle.

The administration official informs the CNN that they have been working out and coordinating the issue with FHFA and the banks. Then, the FHFA will contemplate on the proper guidelines and inform banks about them by November 15. Homeowners can start applying for the refinancing until after the 15th of November.

Between the present days until the 15th, the FHFA can think of including another category of homeowners in the plan. It is possible that the changes will be extended to bad credit homeowners who have home equities and have been current in their payments.

A government official shares that plans are continuously made to address the larger housing problems that affect the entire market. These will be announced in the future.

Previously, the administration already announced the forbearance for homeowners for up to one year if they lost their jobs. This allows homeowners to delay mortgage payments while unemployed.

Related articles

• U.S. throws lifeline to underwater homeowners – Reuters (news.google.com)
• Refinancing plan for US mortgages (bbc.co.uk)

With the historically low rates, different financial institutions such as mortgage servicers, credit unions and banks are doing everything to encourage you to refinance. Before choosing one, make sure to know how long it will take.

Wells Fargo is sending out solicitations through mail showing the difference in their customers’ payments when they decide to refinance to a lower rate and shorter term loan.

Chase is going a little further than Wells Fargo. They are providing their customers with one day air informing their customer that they promise no closing costs and no appraisal for refinancing.

Advantis Credit Union offers their clients a 10-year mortgage that has a low interest rate of 3.29%. It has already given out 200 of this loan type since the month of January.

OSU Federal Credit Union has a raffle program that allows anyone who refinances their home, credit card or vehicle to join. The program will be giving out three cash prizes amounting to $1000 each.

Mentioning these different solicitations does not mean that they are right for you. Make sure that you compare the balance of your present loan and the overall interest payments with any possible cost of refinancing such as closing costs, interest payments and appraisal fee for the entire duration of the loan.

Even if there are long-term advantages of paying your debt in full, do not disregard the impact of a higher payment in your cash flow every month. You do not want to be forced in a cash crunch that will push you to sell your home in a struggling housing market.

Moreover, check around as much as you can. In the past year, many customers of major banks complained that their refinancing was slow. By looking at all your possible options, you can save money on lower fees and rates and you can find a lender that can quickly approve your loan.

Related articles

• Refinancing mortgages could get easier (sfgate.com)
• Lack of equity can derail attempt to refinance mortgage (thefairclothteam.wordpress.com)

Take Advantage of Low FHA Mortgage Rates

In the past week, mortgage rates reached another low record. This is one of the news regarding the terrible economic condition. The current rate on FHA mortgage declined to 3.990% with an annual percentage rate of 5.318%. This is once again another big chance for individuals and families who have existing FHA mortgages and for those who are thinking of getting an FHA mortgage.

If you are one of those with an FHA mortgage in your house, you can take full advantage of the streamline refinance program for your mortgage. This program will help you save extra money from your mortgage payments. Oftentimes, FHA streamline refinances do not ask for a new appraisal that is why the process takes faster than a usual refinance program. If you are paying your mortgage at a rate of at least 4.5%, you can inquire from different mortgage servicers to know the amount of savings you can have when you decide to refinance.

On the other hand, if you do not yet own a home as of this time but are thinking of purchasing one, now may be the best time to go for it. Even without enough funds to put in a down payment, you might be able to obtain a mortgage via the FHA. This type of mortgage may only ask you to pay at least 3.5% of your dream home’s purchase price as your minimum down payment. Because of this, FHA mortgage is popular to many homebuyers. There are also many mortgage servicers these days that are willing to assist you in getting an FHA mortgage especially if you have a good credit standing.

The housing market is offering the best mortgage rates so far. Although this may not be a good sign for the economy, it can benefit existing homeowners and those who have been planning to purchase their own homes but are waiting for the most affordable rates.

Related articles

• 10 Facts to Know About FHA Loans (doorfly.com)

Lawmakers are thinking of ways to help those who are struggling with high rates of interest.

One of the ways that they are working on is the Helping Responsible Homeowners Act.

This legislation was already submitted to the senate committee in the earlier months of the present year.

If it is approved, it can truly help those who are having challenges with their home mortgage and could even give them a good rate of interest.

As a loan officer in Arvest Bank, the low rates of interest at the moment have kept realtor Drew Stoner busy.

He said that a lot of individuals and families are currently refinancing and their bank is not rejecting those whose credit qualifies them for a refinance. He added that even those who have been unlucky in the past have options at the moment. This allows borrowers to refinance despite being at 125% of their loan’s property value.

However, those who have mortgages under Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae may not be able to take advantage of the historically low rates of interest.

Lawmakers are thinking the bill over to lighten the restrictions on homeowners under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Most of these homeowners owe more on their mortgages relative to the total worth of their homes.

According to realtor Tammie Tucker, homeowners who have made on time payments must maintain their good standing. They must not allow their credit to get lower and ensure that their scores are in proper order.

If the bill passes the lawmakers, those struggling with their mortgages will be relieved with the lower rates of interest that they will get. For instance, a mortgage worth $150,000 will give them around $1,100 annual savings.

According to lawmakers, an additional $2.2 billion every year will be added to the economy if the bill is enacted.

But, there is also a concern that the bill’s approval will affect the Midwest. However, when all things are considered, the bill will help generate savings through refinancing.