The new housing plan announced by President Obama last week has two main parts. First, there is a $75 billion loan modification plan and, second, there is a program that helps borrowers who are not in danger of defaulting refinance their mortgage.
These are some of the key questions to ask to determine if you can benefit from the plan:
Do I have to fall behind on my loan payments to be eligible for a loan modification?No. Borrowers must simply demonstrate that they are in danger of falling behind on their mortgage and that they don’t have sufficient income to make future mortgage payments. Borrowers with ballooning mortgage payments or interest rates that are resetting may benefit from the new plan.
What are the loan modification requirements?To be eligible for modification under the plan, the loan must be a first mortgage on the borrower’s primary residence. Borrowers must currently be paying more than 31% of their monthly gross income toward mortgage payments. Jumbo loans that exceed Fannie or Freddie loan limits are not eligible. Ultimately, your eligibility will be determined by your mortgage lender.
What if I am “under water” and my mortgage is more than the value of my property?
As long as the amount owed on a first mortgage does not exceed 105% of the home’s current value, borrowers with limited equity can refinance into a 30-year or 15-year fixed-rate mortgage. This refinance option is open to only to borrowers with conforming loans that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Borrowers must show that they are current on mortgage payments and that they will be able to meet the new mortgage payments.
How do I know if my mortgage is owned or guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie?The White House will release full eligibility details on March 4, when the program begins, and it is recommended that borrowers contact their lender at that time to see if their mortgage is owned or guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie.
Does my lender HAVE to participate in the program?No. Participation by lenders is voluntary, but the government provides subsidies to encourage lenders to modify loans. For example, mortgage servicers receive $1,000 for each loan modification and can also get another $1,000 annually for three years if the borrower stays current on the loan.
To learn more about loan modification options, visit www.loanmodificationhelpcenter.org
Posts Tagged ‘Loan’
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Saturday, August 14th, 2010What?s the Low Down on Loan to Value?
Monday, August 2nd, 2010It’s not very often that a borrower takes into heavy consideration what his loan to value is when shopping for a loan. In fact, if the subject is brought up by the customer, it’s mostly in relation to avoiding paying monthly mortgage insurance. But sometimes, a loan to value can affect even more aspects of your loan – like pricing and approval!
What is loan to value? Well, it’s exactly what it says. The loan amount compared to the value of the home you are buying or refinancing. For example, if you are buying a $100,000 home, and your loan amount is only $50,000, your loan to value or “LTV” is 50%. It’s also very common to refinance a home to obtain a lower LTV and drop mortgage insurance that was before required.
Different types of loans have different minimum requirements for LTV’s. With primary residence purchases, for instance, an FHA loan can have as high as a 97.75% LTV (soon to change to 96.5% in 2009). A conventional loan can have as high as a 97% LTV (but more common is 95% LTV). VA and Rural Housing loans can have 100% LTV’s. People who have cash to put down on the property they are buying and financing with a conventional loan oftentimes try to amass 20% of the purchase price in order to avoid mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is required when your LTV for a primary residence is above 80% and is issued by independent mortgage insuring companies like Genworth Financial or PMI. Fannie and Freddie, the big purchasers of conventional loans, will require one of these or other approved companies issue mortgage insurance unless the loan has an 80% LTV. And if you’re refinancing the home you live in? The whole grid of acceptable LTV’s changes for the most part, with a few exceptions. And furthermore, if you’re talking about investment properties, it’s another can of worms.
But when else does LTV mean something? Consider when a loan specialist prices your loan. Oftentimes there are pricing differentials based upon the loan to value. For instance, if you carry mortgage insurance and your LTV is 85.01% or higher, you might actually get a better interest rate than if you had an 85% LTV (but don’t get too excited because your monthly mortgage insurance will be higher). Or if your LTV is 60% or lower, you might also get a better interest rate. If you are close to tipping the scales on one of these ratios, it may be to your benefit to ask your loan specialist how close you are to a pricing break one way or another. You’d be surprised to find out it might change your mind as to how much money you decide to put down on your loan.
And guess what else? A low loan to value may be the difference between loan approval and loan denial. Why is that? Because if you are investing enough of your own money into the equity of a property, chances are you won’t default on the loan. And if you do, it’s probably a last recourse. Not to mention, the lender who holds the note won’t lose money because there is enough equity in the property to cover foreclosure costs, re-sale costs and any value loss from an upside down market. The lender is covered. So, the lender will consider the loan less risky and a higher debt to income ratio is tolerated when reviewed with a high credit score.