Making Homes Affordable? It's Not Working!!

In a report released by the "Making Homes Affordable Program", only 9% of those mortgages eligible (estimated) for a modification are in the process. Essentially the lenders, mortgage companies, loan servicers, ARE NOT doing their jobs.

The information through the end of July shows that of an estimated 2.7 million mortgages, all of which are 60 days+ delinquent, only 235,247 (actual) have been offered a modification or are in the process of obtaining one. This does not necessarily mean a change in all terms, but could be nothing more than the lender allowing 3 payments to be moved to the end of the loan term, but as a modification.

The lenders doing the best job are 1. Saxon 2. Aurora (small number of loans) 3. GMAC 4. JP Morgan Chase -all having in process 20% or more of the estimated eligible loans. CitiBank has 15% being worked on. BUT American Home Mortgage Servicing Inc (AHMSI) has done 0%, Wilshire 1%, Wachovia 2%, Select Portfolio 3%, Bank of America 4%, OCWEN 5%, and Wells Fargo and Citizens 6% each.

Who's fault is it - primarily the lenders/servicers. They never got ready for the program and they prefer to try to wait out the bad times, thinking, it seems, that suddenly the housing and finance markets will turn positive.

IT IS CRITICAL TO NOTE that once a borrower has submitted the necessary paperwork for a MHA Loan Modification, and has passed the initial screening (see below) FORECLOSURE PROCESS MUST STOP! - 1. home is your primary residence 2. currently employed or have other regular income 3. default caused by a hardship or there has been a drop in income or increase in expenses 4. your mortgage payment including principal interest, taxes and insurance is more than 31% of your monthly GROSS income, and 4. your loan was current at the start of 2009, you qualify for the full analysis. (Go to http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/modification_eligibility.html

If you meet the basics and have filed for a modification, and you then get a letter stating that the foreclosure process will continue during the evaluation, send a certified return receipt requested letter to the address to which you sent the documents, and state that the law requires them to STOP foreclosure proceedings.

If you are having a problem, call a qualified Bankruptcy attorney in your area (you can find one at www.nacba.org), or, contact your local Bar Association for a referral to an attorney working to stop foreclosures. In Massachusetts for example, you can contact the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, or any of the local housing authorities for a referral.

The program is a reasonable one. I am having excellent results for my clients, but it requires a great deal of patience. As always, contact my office if you have a problem finding help.

Author's Copyright by Richard I. Isacoff, Esq, August, 2009

rii@isacofflaw.com

http://www.isacofflaw.com/