Alpharetta Cumming Lake Lanier Real Estate Blog

In yet another effort to prevent more foreclosures, Fannie Mae (FNM: 0.67, -0.05, -6.95%), Freddie Mac (FRE: 0.83, -0.05, -5.69%) in conjunction with U.S. government officials, are speeding up the modification of home loans held by financial companies.

Sources told FOX Business Network that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and U.S. government officials will announce later Tuesday that they will hasten efforts to modify hundreds of thousands of loans that are past due. The goal is to bring the ratio of household debt to income for the borrowers down to 38%. U.S. government officials also plan to encourage large banks that hold loans to take similar steps.

The program will be an extension of HOPE NOW alliance, which was announced last year and is designed to prevent foreclosures by reworking the terms of mortgages.

The Wall Street Journal reported the announcement will come at a 2:00 p.m. press conference at the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Financial industry sources told FOX Business Network that the White House rejected the FDIC’s proposal to prevent foreclosures for up to 3 million home owners. That more ambitious proposal would have provided some type of loan guaranteed for hundreds of billions of restructured mortgages.

Labels: fannie mae, foreclosure, freddie mac, home loans, mortgage

With the upcoming elections almost here, it is important to understand the two candidate's positions on helping the Homeownership Issue:

Comparing McCain's Plan and Obama's Plan.


John McCain will direct his Treasury Secretary to implement an American Homeownership Resurgence Plan (McCain Resurgence Plan) to keep families in their homes, avoid foreclosures, save failing neighborhoods, stabilize the housing market and attack the roots of our financial crisis. America's families are bearing a heavy burden from falling housing prices, mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures, and a weak economy. It is important that those families who have worked hard enough to finance homeownership not have that dream crushed under the weight of the wrong mortgage. The existing debts are too large compared to the value of housing. For those that cannot make payments, mortgages must be re-structured to put losses on the books and put homeowners in manageable mortgages.

The McCain Resurgence Plan would purchase mortgages directly from homeowners and mortgage servicers, and replace them with manageable, fixed-rate mortgages that will keep families in their homes. By purchasing the existing, failing mortgages the McCain resurgence plan will eliminate uncertainty over defaults, support the value of mortgage-backed derivatives and alleviate risks that are freezing financial markets.

The McCain resurgence plan would be available to mortgage holders that: Live in the home (primary residence only)

Can prove their creditworthiness at the time of the original loan (no falsifications and provided a down payment).The new mortgage would be an FHA-guaranteed fixed-rate mortgage at terms manageable for the homeowner. The direct cost of this plan would be roughly $300 billion because the purchase of mortgages would relieve homeowners of "negative equity" in some homes. Funds provided by Congress in recent financial market stabilization bill can be used for this purpose; indeed by stabilizing mortgages it will likely be possible to avoid some purposes previously assumed needed in that bill.

The plan could be implemented quickly as a result of the authorities provided in the stabilization bill, the recent housing bill, and the U.S. government's conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It may be necessary for Congress to raise the overall borrowing limit.




Obama and Biden will crack down on fraudulent brokers and lenders. They will also make sure homebuyers have honest and complete information about their mortgage options, and they will give a tax credit to all middle-class homeowners.

Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: Obama and Biden will create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief. This credit will provide an average of $500 to 10 million homeowners, the majority of whom earn less than $50,000 per year.

Ensure More Accountability in the Subprime Mortgage Industry: Obama has been closely monitoring the subprime mortgage situation for years, and introduced comprehensive legislation over a year ago to fight mortgage fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices. Obama's STOP FRAUD Act provides the first federal definition of mortgage fraud, increases funding for federal and state law enforcement programs, creates new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and requires industry insiders to report suspicious activity.

Mandate Accurate Loan Disclosure: Obama and Biden will create a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score, which will provide potential borrowers with a simplified, standardized borrower metric (similar to APR) for home mortgages. The HOME score will allow individuals to easily compare various mortgage products and understand the full cost of the loan.

Close Bankruptcy Loophole for Mortgage Companies: Obama and Biden will work to eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual's mortgage payments. They believe that the subprime mortgage industry, which has engaged in dangerous and sometimes unscrupulous business practices, should not be shielded by outdated federal law.

If you have questions about your existing or future mortage, contact Covenant Mortgage. For assistance with selling or buying a home, contact our team at Vanderhoff Real Estate today.

Labels: fannie mae, FHA, freddie mac, homeownership, mccain, mortgage fraud, obama, resurgence plan

Yesterday, President Bush signed into law a housing bill passed by Congress aimed at stabilizing the housing market. Opponents to the bill argue that it will reward "irresponsible" lenders and consumers and allow the government too big a role in the housing market. The bill's supporters stress that providing a financial lifeline for the government-sponsored Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as more regulatory oversight would contribute to confidence and stability in housing and financial markets. It will be interesting to see how this bill effects the housing market. Following is a recap of some of the key points in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008:

— Give the Treasury Department the power to extend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac an unspecified line of credit and to buy their stock, if necessary, to prop up the mortgage companies. The two companies back or own $5 trillion in U.S. mortgages — nearly half the nation's total.

— Allow qualified homeowners facing foreclosure to apply for lower fixed-rate, 30-year mortgages backed by loan guarantees from the Federal Housing Administration. The original lenders would have to agree to take a loss on their loans.

— Create an independent regulator to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The regulator could establish minimum capital requirements for the two companies and limits on their portfolios. It would also have approval power over the pay packages of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives.

— Provide $3.9 billion in grants to communities with the highest foreclosure rates to buy foreclosed and abandoned properties.

— Give about $15 billion in housing tax breaks, including a credit of up to $7,500 for first-time homebuyers who bought homes between April 9, 2008, and July 1, 2009.

— Put a cap of $625,500 on the loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy in certain high-priced areas, and a cap in other areas of up to 15 percent above the median home price.

— Count any federal infusion for the mortgage giants under the debt limit, essentially capping how much the government could spend to stabilize the companies without further approval from Congress. As of Tuesday, the national debt that counts toward the limit stood at about $9.5 trillion, roughly $360 billion below the statutory ceiling.

— It also includes changes that will affect senior citizens through modifications to the standard Federal Housing Administration HECM reverse mortgage product.

Labels: fannie mae, FHA, foreclosures, freddie mac, president bush, The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 is a hot topic and is expected to be signed by the President this week. So what will the bill do? Here's a look at some key points to help understand the bill.

— Give the Treasury Department the power to extend Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac an unspecified line of credit and to buy their stock, if necessary, to prop up the mortgage companies. The two companies back or own $5 trillion in U.S. mortgages — nearly half the nation's total.

— Allow qualified homeowners facing foreclosure to apply for lower fixed-rate, 30-year mortgages backed by loan guarantees from the Federal Housing Administration. The original lenders would have to agree to take a loss on their loans.

— Create an independent regulator to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The regulator could establish minimum capital requirements for the two companies and limits on their portfolios. It would also have approval power over the pay packages of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives.

— Provide $3.9 billion in grants to communities with the highest foreclosure rates to buy foreclosed and abandoned properties.

— Give about $15 billion in housing tax breaks, including a credit of up to $7,500 for first-time homebuyers who bought homes between April 9, 2008, and July 1, 2009.

— Put a cap of $625,500 on the loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can buy in certain high-priced areas, and a cap in other areas of up to 15 percent above the median home price.

— Count any federal infusion for the mortgage giants under the debt limit, essentially capping how much the government could spend to stabilize the companies without further approval from Congress. As of Tuesday, the national debt that counts toward the limit stood at about $9.5 trillion, roughly $360 billion below the statutory ceiling.

— It also includes important changes that will dramatically affect senior citizens through modifications to the standard Federal Housing Administration HECM reverse mortgage product.

Labels: fannie mae, foreclosure, Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, freddie mac, housing bill, stimulus, The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008

Excerpt from Washington Post Article below. To read the full article click on following link:
Congress Is Set to Limit Down-Payment Assistance
By Dina ElBoghdady
Washington Post Staff Writer

Mortgage programs that helped nearly 79,000 people buy homes using government-insured loans last year would be eliminated as part of a broader housing package that Congress expects to pass this week, key lawmakers said.

Under these programs, nonprofit groups provide buyers with money for down payments. Home sellers then reimburse the organizations and pay an administrative fee. More than half a million people have bought homes this way in the past decade using loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

But the FHA said seller-funded down payments present the single biggest challenge to its solvency. Borrowers who take part in these arrangements go to foreclosure at nearly three times the rate of borrowers who put their own money down, according to the agency.

Labels: congress, fannie mae, freddie mac, limit down payment assistance, nehemiah

After months of debate on Capitol Hill, the Senate seemed poised Thursday to finally pass a comprehensive housing and foreclosure prevention bill this week. The measure, which would create a new government-backed foreclosure prevention program and strengthen oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The omnibus housing package attempts to address the housing crisis in several ways. Among them is providing more relief for some borrowers facing foreclosure; increasing access to mortgages in higher-cost areas; modernizing the loan guidelines for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA); and more stringently regulating Fannie and Freddie, the government-sponsored enterprises that have taken a beating this week amidst concern over how well funded they are.

To read more in depth about this bill click here for an article from CNNMoney.com

Labels: fannie mae, FHA, foreclosure, freddie mac, omnibus housing package, prevention bill, senate