Federal Housing Administration

The Federal Housing Financing Agency is Making Great Strides for Borrowers

On September 4, 2012, in Finance, Real Estate, Short Sale, Strategic Default, Taxes, by blacklobellolaw

In a recent news release, The Federal Housing Financing Agency gave word of new short sale guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac servicers. The changes are set to go into affect November 01, 2012 and are meant to clarify and expedite the short sale process. The announced alterations are as follows:

1) Homeowners with a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage will be permitted to sell their home in a short sale even if they are current on their mortgage if they have an eligible hardship, such as death of a borrower or co-borrower, divorce, disability, or relocation for a job, unemployment, business failure, etc., all without special approval from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac;

2) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will waive the right to pursue deficiency judgments in exchange for a financial contribution when a borrower has sufficient income or assets to make cash contributions or sign promissory notes, whereby servicers will evaluate borrowers for additional capacity to cover the shortfall between the outstanding loan balance and the property sales price as part of approving the short sale;

3) Special treatment will be provided to military personnel with Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders; and

4) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer up to $6,000 to second lien holders to expedite a short sale.

All of the changes hint to incredible strides forward for borrowers, especially the provision that indicates borrowers will be considered without default and the limit on contributions to second lien holders. They are claimed to create a single, uniform short sale procedure, with specific rules or timelines when a foreclosure sale is looming. Borrowers that short sell will not be eligible for a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan for two years thereafter.

Homeowners can determine if they have a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan by going to:

• http://www.FannieMae.com/loanlookup or calling 800-7Fannie (8 am to 8 pm ET)

• https://www.FreddieMac.com/corporate/ or 800-Freddie (8 am to 8 pm ET)

Kristy Black, JD MBA

Tagged with: deficiency judgments • Fannie Mae • Federal Housing Administration • Freddie Mac • military foreclosures • Mortgage • second mortgage • short sale

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FHA Extends Waiver of Anti-Flipping Regulations Through 2012

On December 27, 2011, in Legislation, Mortgage, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

In an effort to continue stabilizing home values and improve conditions in communities experiencing high foreclosure activity, Acting Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Carol J. Galante will extend FHA’s temporary waiver of the anti-flipping regulations.

With certain exceptions, FHA regulations prohibit insuring a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days. In 2010, FHA temporarily waived this regulation through January 31, 2011, and later extended that waiver through the remainder of 2011. The new extension will permit buyers to continue to use FHA-insured financing to purchase HUD-owned properties, bank-owned properties, or properties resold through private sales. It will allow homes to resell as quickly as possible, helping to stabilize real estate prices and to revitalize neighborhoods and communities.

The extension is effective through December 31, 2012, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by FHA. All other terms of the existing Waiver will remain the same. The Waiver contains strict conditions and guidelines to prevent the predatory practice of property flipping, in which properties are quickly resold at inflated prices to unsuspecting borrowers. The Waiver continues to be limited to sales meeting the following conditions:

All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.
In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller’s acquisition cost, the Waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions and documents the justification for the increase in value.
The Waiver is limited to forward mortgages, and does not apply to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) for purchase program.

Tagged with: bank owned properties • Commissioner Carol J. Galante • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • house flipping • HUD-owned • Mortgage • predatory practice • regulation • waiver

Two Federal Housing Programs on the Chopping Block

On March 4, 2011, in Foreclosure, Legislation, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

On Thursday, March 3, 2011, the House Financial Services Committee voted to end two Federal Housing programs. The two seemingly unmanageable programs sought to be eliminated include the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) Short Refi Program and the program initiated through the Dodd-Frank Reform Act last summer which provided a “bridge loan” for those who lost their jobs. The bills to terminate these programs will go to the full House for debate.

In the Las Vegas housing market, financially distressed properties rule the day and many borrowers have turned to different federal programs in order to offer some relief. Despite their hope that these programs would provide meaningful assistance, it appears that many do not. The “unhelpfulness” of these programs is now the party line as the Federal Government has lost interest in backing programs targeted at assisting the financially distressed property owner. The Feds allege that many of the programs do not work and some even create more problems than solutions. In fact, Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus did state, “In an era of record-breaking deficits, it’s time to pull the plug on these programs that are actually doing more harm than good for struggling homeowners.” Considering that a significant portion of the Obama administration’s estimated $28.1 billion net cost for Troubled Asset Relief Program is vested in housing relief programs, why not create programs that have some “teeth,” rather than simply ending programs that haven’t proven successful?

Carlos L. McDade, Esq.
Kelle L. Kuebler, Attorney*
*Licensed only in New York and Connecticut

Tagged with: Black & LoBello • borrowers • bridge loan • cutting federal programs • Dodd-Frank Reform Act • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • Financial Services Committee • Las Vegas • Nevada • Short Refi Program • Spender Bachus • TARP • Troubled Asset Relief Program

Obama Administration’s White Paper Proposes Phasing Out Fannie and Freddie

On February 11, 2011, in Corporate, Legislation, Mortgage, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

The Obama administration released its “white paper” outlining the winding down and replacement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The goal of the proposals is to decrease the government’s involvement in the mortgage industry. The first proposal presented by the administration would create a government backstop under a federal reinsurance model. In the second proposal the government backstop would only be triggered in event of a crisis. The last option presented has no government backstop beyond existing federal agencies such as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

The paper also proposes reforming the current industry standards. The paper recommends raising the fees that Fannie and Freddie charge to lenders in order to make mortgages that are not government-backed more competitive. Another proposal includes a gradual increase in minimum down payments so that Fannie and Freddie can buy loans with a minimum 10% down payment. Lastly, the paper recommends slowly reducing the maximum loan limits Fannie and Freddie can purchase but does not specify to exact loan limits.

As part of the recommended reforms to the current mortgage industry, the paper also recommends reducing the role and financial exposure of the FHA. The administration says it will increase the annual insurance premiums borrowers of FHA backed loans pay later this year. The administration is concerned with phasing in any reform gradually to prevent increased chaos in the fragile mortgage and housing market.

Joshua D. Carlson, Esq.

Tagged with: Black & LoBello • down payment • Fannie Mae • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • Freddie Mac • housing market • Las Vegas • Mortgage • Nevada • Obama • Real Estate • White Paper • winding down

Change is coming to the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative Program

On January 10, 2011, in Finance, Foreclosure, Legislation, Mortgage, Real Estate, Short Sale, by blacklobellolaw

Pursuant to the new guidelines released December 28, 2010, servicers are expected to put into place the revised guidelines on or before February 1, 2011. As a part of the updated guidelines servicers are now required to complete and send a Short Sale Agreement (SSA) to the borrower within 30 calendar days from the date the borrower responds to the HAFA solicitation. If the borrower requests HAFA consideration, the servicer must respond within 30 days.

Another major change under the revision is the removal of the HAFA requirement that the borrower must occupy the home. Now, a borrower who no longer lives in the property is eligible for HAFA as long as the property has been vacant or rented to a non-borrower for no more than 12 months prior to the date of the SSA and the borrower has not purchased a new property during the 12 month period prior to the SSA.

Servicers are no longer required to verify a borrower’s financial information to determine a borrower’s HAFA eligibility, nor is it necessary to determine if the borrower’s total monthly mortgage payment is more than 31 percent of monthly gross income. Servicers are also are no longer limited by the 6 percent cap with respect to payments to the subordinate lien holders.

While the above mentioned revision to the HAFA guidelines are in the right direction, the revisions to HAFA do not apply to first lien mortgages that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or insured by a federal agency such as the Federal Housing Administration. Moreover, servicers are not required to implement the new rules to any loans retroactively.

Joshua D. Carlson, Esq.

Tagged with: Black & LoBello • Fannie Mae • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • Freddie Mac • HAFA • Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative Program • Las Vegas • loan • Nevada • servicers • Short Sale Agreement • SSA

Obama Administration Putting Pressure on Fannie and Freddie to Agree to Principal Reductions

On December 27, 2010, in Finance, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

The Obama administration is trying to convince Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to join a program run by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that allows banks to hand over mortgages if the bank and investors agree to a write-down on the principal. The administration hopes that the participation of the mortgage giants would put additional pressure on other lenders to participate in the FHA program.

Currently, Freddie and Fannie rarely reduce principal balances. According to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, only 10 of the 120,000 loans modified during the second quarter of 2010 came with a principal reduction. It is of note that the FHA program is only available to homeowners who are current on their mortgage.

Joshua D. Carlson, Esq.

Tagged with: banks • Black & LoBello • Fannie Mae • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • Freddie Mac • Las Vegas • Mortgage • Nevada • principal • principal reduction

FHA’s new principal reduction program

On May 19, 2010, in Finance, Mortgage, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

A new program issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requires lenders to reduce the principal by at least 10% for qualified borrowers. Borrowers can qualify for the FHA principal reduction program if they are current on their payments and their loan was acquired from a failed bank seized by the FDIC. Additionally, the program is open to borrowers whose mortgages are not currently insured by the FHA. The maximum allowed loan to value (LTV) of the combined loans is 115%. Principal reductions must bring the new FHA loan’s LTV to 97.5% and make the new payments account for 31% of the borrower’s gross monthly income including second lien mortgages.

Tisha Black Chernine, Esq.

Tagged with: 10% • borrowers • FDIC • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • gross monthly income • Las Vegas • lenders • loan-to-value • lowering mortgage payment • LTV • Nevada • principal reduction

New Mortgage Program for Unemployed

On May 17, 2010, in Employment Law, Finance, Mortgage, by blacklobellolaw

The Home Affordable Unemployment Program (UP) takes effect July 1, 2010, offering eligible unemployed borrowers an option to temporarily reduce or suspend mortgage payments for a minimum of three months. Applicants must qualify for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), currently receive unemployment benefits, and must request the option before missing three monthly payments. Homeowners, previously determined to be ineligible for a HAMP modification, may still request the UP plan if they meet the other requirements. The UP plan lasts a minimum of three months or until the homeowners gain employment, whichever is less. Servicers can extend this period according to investor or regulatory guidelines. UP plans are reevaluated 30 days prior to the expiration date or reemployment, whichever occurs first. Eligible loans include first lien mortgage loans that are not owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or insured or guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Tisha Black Chernine, Esq.

Tagged with: benefits • borrowers • Federal Housing Administration • FHA • forbearance plan • HAMP • Home Affordable Mediation Program • Las Vegas • modifications • Nevada • payment reduction • suspend • unemployed • unemployment • UP

Republicans Want to End Fannie and Freddie

On May 6, 2010, in Finance, Mortgage, Real Estate, by blacklobellolaw

On Wednesday, Republicans announced a plan to wind down bailed-out mortgage-financing giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This proposal has the potential to create some political headaches for Democrats and the Obama administration which have bet heavily on the companies’ futures.

Republicans submitted the measure as an amendment to the financial-regulatory bill in the Senate. It outlines steps to get rid of Fannie and Freddie during the next five years. However, the proposal neglects to include an alternative to replace the two mammoth organizations which is no small detail.

Last quarter, Fannie and Freddie funded two-thirds of all U.S. home loans. Added to the loan volume of the Federal Housing Administration, the government backed a total of 96.5% of the country’s loans. If shut down, Fannie and Freddie would transfer their burden to the FHA, an organization with much more lax standards and even fewer resources to deal with the added volume.

Tisha Black Chernine, Esq.