Hope in Congress

Hope, and that's all it is at this point, for some loan mod help is showing up in Congress. A vote is possible on a bill that would mandate a loan modification decision before a foreclosure could proceed. Whether it finally happens and when is an open set of questions, but apparently, both are getting serious consideration by the folks in DC. Stay tuned and good luck.

Florida Fares Well with Fannie!

A while ago, last December, in fact, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that lenders had to have mediation sessions before finalizing a foreclosure or a summary judgment of judicial foreclosure. In line with this decision, Fannie Mae has now announced that its administrative guidelines for such activity will require that any such lender with a Fannie Mae backed loan refer any loans on Florida property to an attorney from Fannie's retained counsel mediation network BEFORE instituting foreclosure proceedings. This provides anyone with a Fannie loan on Florida property some additional opportunity to go through the mediation process as part of the effort to resolve the problem without automatically losing the property to foreclosure. Check with your lender or attorney for more details as to how exactly this applies to you if you are a Florida property owner in this category. Good luck.

Possible Help If You're Underwater

Well, an item we discussed previously is now up and running. The FHA's program to help those who are underwater (owe more than the home is worth) went into effect on Tuesday, September 7. Basically, it is directed at non-FHA borrowers, and aims to offer FHA-guaranteed refinancing of their existing loan. While it will NOT help all homeowners who are in this situation, estimates range from 250,000 to 1.5 million owners that will be helped.
The way it will work is that FHA will provide FHA-guaranteed refinance loans to homeowners who are in a negative equity position, and whose existing lenders will agree to write of a minimum of ten percent of the presently existing loan balance.

Comment: This is an excellent opportunity for those who qualify! My advice: Call both HUD and your lender TODAY!
Good luck!