For the last four years, HAMP, the Home Affordable Modification Program has been one of the big sources of help for struggling homeowners. The government mortgage help program provides homeowners with a variety of options to save their mortgage. However, not everybody qualifies for the Home Affordable Modification Program. Fannie Mae introduced the Payment Reduction Plan, also known as PRP, as an alternative for those who could not qualify for HAMP. As of January 1st, 2012, this option is no longer available.

Why has Fannie Mae cancelled this relief program? According to press releases from Fannie Mae, the volume of applications and existing homeowners in the program did not justify keeping it running. The Payment Reduction Plan started on October 26, 2009, and was first designed as a bridge program to help those who were trying to qualify for HAMP. It later developed into an alternative for homeowners who did not meet the criteria for the Home Affordable Modification Program. The main attraction of the PRP is it didn’t only reduce monthly payments, it reduced the mortgage principal and the mortgage interest rates, which provided “real” help to homeowners. For instance, a homeowner in the Payment Reduction Program could benefit from a reduction of 30 percent in monthly mortgage payments.

This is in stark contrast of so-called modification programs that simply extend the term of the mortgage or attach late payments to the end of the mortgage. Unfortunately, the application process for the Payment Reduction Plan seems to have been less streamlined as its creators had intended and the volume of successful candidates has dropped in the last two years.

Sadly, the Payment Reduction Plan was itself a downscaling of the previous “best mortgage rate reduction” in town: Fannie’s HomeSaver Forbearance Program. The HomeSaver Forbearance Program offered homeowners who were struggling with their mortgage payments a reduction of up to 50 percent for qualifying candidates. The argument Fanny Mae offered for the drop in mortgage reduction offered by their PRP program was that 30 percent was a more realistic and “permanent” reduction for mortgage servicers. It seems 30 percent is no longer a realistic or permanent solution either.

Nevertheless, homeowners looking for government help for their mortgages still have options to consider. For instance, eligible applicants can apply for the Forbearance Relief program Fannie Mae plans to launch in March 2012. The Forbearance Relief program is designed, as the PRP was, to cater for homeowners who do not qualify for the mainstream modification programs, such as unemployed homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments.

Up to now, homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages had four main options: selling, a mortgage refinance, a loan modification or a short sale. Fannie Mae is trying to give home owners who are struggling to make payments and need a little time to get back on their feet.

The program is called the Forbearance Relief program and Fannie Mae is requiring all its approved servicers to offer it to unemployed borrowers starting from March 1, 2012.

The Program

What does this program offer? It doesn’t reduce the principal of the mortgage, it doesn’t reduce the interest rate. However, it does offer what many home owners need more than anything: time. In a nutshell it provides unemployed borrowers with 6 to 12 months of forbearance to allow homeowners time to get a job and put their finances in order. During the forbearance time lenders are not allowed to charge borrowers for late charges. In the event that a homeowners qualifies for a loan modification while in the forbearance period, the servicer must waive any unpaid late charges.

This program will simplify the existing forbearance requirements and simplify the application procedure. Freddie Mac—the other Government subsidized second market corporation—will also offer this program, starting from February 1st.

Requirements

This is one of the strengths of this program. The Forbearance Relief program is open to most struggling homeowners. This includes delinquent borrowers, borrowers on the verge of delinquency and underwater mortgages. However, it is only open to principal residence homes. In other words, only borrowers who use the home in question as their main residence can apply. Second homes, vacation homes or investment properties cannot qualify for forbearance relief.

MBS Mortgages

Mortgages that have been pooled into mortgage-backed securities are a special case in the Forbearance Relief program of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Homeowners whose mortgages have been included in MBS may qualify for up to six months of forbearance, but only if the pools were issued from June 1, 2007 to December 1, 2008. Longer forbearance plans may be offered, but only to mortgages pooled in to mortgage based securities before May 2007 or after January 2009.

Extensions

Once a mortgage is approved for the Forbearance Relief program, the homeowner must take steps to reinstate the mortgage payments by the end of the forbearance period. If a homeowner needs an extension, the application for the extension must be filed between day 120 and 135 of the forbearance plan (between month four and five). Note that eligibility for this program is determined on a monthly basis.

CitiMortgage, the servicing side of CitiGroup’s lending sector is promoting some new alternatives for homeowners who do not qualify for loan modifications. These alternatives work in conjunction with CitiMortgage’s new “Road to Recovery Events” program which aims to help homeowners benefit from government and private loan modification programs. According to recent figures, 65 percent of applicants at these events are successful. What happens to the 45 percent that are not granted a mortgage modification? CitiMortgage is offering a special foreclosure alternative program across six states.

What is a foreclosure alternative?

There are two main types of foreclosure alternatives: short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure. A short sales occurs when the lender allows the borrower to sell the property undergoing foreclosure at a price below the mortgage balance to avoid foreclosure. A deed-in-lieu of foreclosure occurs when borrowers agree to return their deed, and therefore their legal claim to the property, in exchange of avoiding foreclosure. These alternatives can be beneficial to borrowers as long as the lender agrees not to attempt to collect any difference between the mortgage’s balance and the sale price.

What is New?

Up to now, nothing new. Short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure have been around for a while. However, CitiGroup through its branch CitiMortgage is offering some new additions to short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosures.

Six-Month Break

If you have no chance of arranging a loan modification or refinance, CitiGroup will offer you up to six months of free month if they agree to exchange the deed for six-months of additional stay in the house. As far as now, there is not completion date for this date, which means it should be open for all homeowners who qualify for the program. This six-month break will allow you to start saving for the new deposit or move and avoid some of the stress of moving after a foreclosure.

$1,000 Bonus

Moving home is a huge expense. If you have just gone through a foreclosure, the cost of moving may simply be too much to deal with. CitiGroup, through CitiMortgage, offers borrowers a helping hand here by offering homeowners who agree to a foreclosure alternative a minimum of $1,000 towards moving costs. This will help with a new deposit if you decide to rent or as aid towards the new appliances and furniture you may need for your next house.

The idea is to reduce the cost and damage of foreclosures to clients by providing tenants with an incentive to be tidy and leave the property on good terms. This does not only help borrowers save money but banks and lenders also.

If you own a Citigroup mortgage and are struggling to make your monthly payments, you may be able to benefit from Citigroup’s CitiMortgage campaign. This program is travelling as a road tour around the United States to meet struggling homeowners who want a loan modification. These outreach efforts have the effect of stimulating homeowners who would otherwise do nothing in the hope that “things will work themselves out” to attend the meeting and determine if they qualify for a modification.

Up to date, CitiMortgage has travelled to four cities as part of its 10 city tour. The tour which has already visited Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta and Orlando still has to visit Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Phoenix, Las Vegas and one more city the organizers are still deciding on. These road to recovery events are sponsored by CitiGroup and non-profit housing counselors.

What have been the results up to date of these events? The figures provided by CitiGroup are promising. According to CitiBank officials the program has approved 65 percent of those that attended the events. Although, we don’t have the attendance figures, officials say 95 percent of those in attendance were 60 days behind in their payments, which makes the previous 65 percent figure ever more so encouraging.

Sanjiv Das, the CEO of CitiMortgage, claims the priority of CitiMortgage is to help customers avoid foreclosure and according to these preliminary figures it seems like this is being accomplished in most of the cases.

What about those who simply do not qualify for a mortgage modification? CitiMortgage guides these homeowners towards foreclosure alternatives, such as a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure to minimize the damage caused to families by foreclosures. A short sale allows homeowners to sell their home for less than the balance of their mortgage and in some cases will “forgive the difference between the mortgage balance and the short sale price. A deed-in-lieu of foreclosure allows the homeowner to hand over the deed of the property in exchange of avoiding foreclosure. In most cases the lender will forgive any late payments and the balance between the current market price of the home and the mortgage balance.

However, it is important to get these assurances in writing because in certain states lenders can claim any losses they suffer after a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure after the house has been sold if there is not a written agreement to the contrary.

The state of Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have approved counselors who can help you free of charge to access programs and services for homeowners in danger of foreclosure. The Pennsylvania Mortgage Help Hotline is 1-8669845108. This way you are sure that the counselors you choose can really provide the help you need to evaluate your financial situation, explain the available options and work with your lender to arrive at a viable solution. So don´t leave your home-stay and call the hotline for help without delay.

The longer you wait and the further behind you fall in mortgage payments the harder it will be to catch up. If you don´t get up to date with mortgage payments your lender could be allowed to sell your house to pay off the debts and this is a situation that too many, who find themselves in financial crisis have to face.

One of the programs is HEMAP Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program from which thousands of families have gained much needed help. This is the only program of its kind created by Act 91 of 1983 to prevent homelessness among the citizens of Pennsylvania and funded by state appropriations and repayment of existing HEMAP loans. The program assures regular mortgage payments making it possible for the house owners to look for employment or train for other work or receive needed education.

This program is in fact a loan which must be repaid and it is not available for FHA Title II (purchase) mortgages. Those who are approved for HEMAP have the property in danger of foreclosure secured by a mortgage so creating a loan. There are two types available according to the financial situation of the owner. These are continuing mortgage assistance loans and non-continuing mortgage assistance loans. Those qualifying for a non-continuing mortgage loan have their mortgage brought up to date from which date the owner is responsible to keep up the payments to the lender as well as monthly repayment to HEMAP.

It is possible that there may be an additional cash contribution toward the mortgage delinquency when the HEMAP loan closes. Those who are eligible for a continuing mortgage assistance loan have the mortgage payments brought up to date and then subsequent payments to the lender are subsidized. Both types of loans are limited to a maximum of 24 months from the date of the mortgage delinquency or a maximum of $60,000,00 whichever comes first. The homeowners benefitting from the loan are required to pay up to 40 percent of their income toward their housing expenses. $25,00 being the minimum monthly payment allowed by law. Thus the mortgage is paid and the family do not lose their home.

Government Mortgage Help prides itself as a useful mortgage assistance tool that focuses on the positive, on the solutions available to homeowners instead of focusing on the scams and less than reputable vultures that prey on those in financial difficulties. Fear mongering, although a great way of grabbing headlines, rarely provides practical help. However, sometimes we must descend into the underworld of loan modification and foreclosure prevention programs to warn homeowners about the risks of so called loan modification agencies and foreclosure avoidance agents.

If you want to learn how you can save your home from foreclosure, read our article: Is Foreclosure Knocking at Your Door? Fight Back, which is based on research provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

After the credit bubble burst in 2007 and new species of real estate consultant arose overnight throughout the United States: unethical foreclosure rescue and loan modification operators. These self-appointed experts come under a variety of names, such as foreclosure consultants or mortgage consultants. They prey on financially challenged households who are desperate to save their homes from foreclosure.

These consultants and their companies claim to have the “secrets” to assist homeowners and help them refinance or modify their mortgage, repair their credit or reduce their mortgage balance. The truth, of course, is they simply want to convince you to follow their bad advice so they can take your money or even your home.

Sadly, the scams associated with these “foreclosure rescue agencies” are too many to mention. They include getting you to sign off the deed to your house to the agency so they can better “fight off” the foreclosure process, asking you to make your mortgage payments through them, or they might even suggest you stop making payments altogether and use your money to pay for their services.

Be safe, be smart. If a deal seems to good to be true, assume it is. Avoiding these agencies is easy. Only deal with non-profit housing counseling agencies certified by the Housing and Urban Development Department. These organizations are sponsored by federal funds and will have your best interests at heart. Click here to find a housing agency near you.

If you think you have already fallen into a foreclosure rescue scam, you can still find help. Contact your local police station and explain your situation. If you need a lawyer and can’t afford it, click here to find free legal services in your area.

Free, accurate and useful information is available. You do not need to pay for it. Please find below a list of reliable (and free) resources you can use.

FDIC Foreclosure Prevention Website
www.fdic.gov/consumers/loans/prevention
(877) ASK-FDIC or 877-275-3342

Government-sponsored Mortgage Modification and Refinance Programs

• Making Home Affordable
  www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/

Foreclosure Mitigation Assistance and Counseling

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  www.hud.gov/hopeforhomeowners/index.cfm or www.hud.gov
  (800) 569-4287
• Homeownership Preservation Foundation
  www.995hope.org
  (888) 995-HOPE
• NeighborWorks America
  www.findaforeclosurecounselor.org/
  or www.nw.org/network/home.asp

Report Foreclosure Scams

• Federal Trade Commission
  www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ or www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit/mortgage.shtm
  (877) FTC-HELP or (877) 382-4357
• State Attorney General Contact List
  www.naag.org/attorneys_general.php
• State, County and City Consumer Protection Offices
  www.consumeraction.gov/state.shtml

On January 10th, 2011, the Obama administration launched a new financial assistance website called MyMoney.gov as part of their National Strategy for Financial Literacy for 2011. Tackling the financial crisis from an educational perspective may seem like a long term project but research shows financial education, or more precisely the lack of it, is at the heart of the financial problems of many homeowners.

According to a poll by Freddie Mac on 2,031 American homeowners published by FDIC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, six in 10 homeowners wish they understood the terms and details of their mortgage better.

MyMoney.gov brings together the know-how and expertise of 20 Federal agencies and Bureaus to fill this gap in our collective financial education and help you make smart financial choices. In doing so it deals with a wide variety of financial issues we should all be interested in. Issues such as managing debt and credit, saving and investing, getting insured, knowing your consumer rights, designing a spending plan, managing debt and credit, getting a loan and dealing with mortgages.

In order to help spread the word we have prepared a series of articles focused on supplying and commenting on the help and information provided by the government on the subjects of mortgages and debt management.

We will pick the best tips related to the mortgage and home loan industry. Here are some of the themes we will cover.

Looking for a mortgage? Learn How to Find the Best One for You.

• This article is based on research provided by the National Credit Union Administration will help you understand the basic of the mortgage industry. It shows us that a mortgage is a consumer product, just like a car or a computer, and as such the terms are negotiable. Learn how comparing mortgages and negotiation with lenders can save you thousands of dollars.

5 Tips for Shopping for a Mortgage.

• Based on information provided by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System this article selects the five best tips you should consider when looking for a mortgage.

Is Foreclosure Knocking on Your Door? Fight Back

• Learn how mortgage modification programs can help you overcome the risk of foreclosure and save your home. The research for this article is provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Your Foreclosure Prevention Toolkit

• Are you facing foreclosure, part of a public advocacy program for struggling homeowners or do you think you may have evidence of fraudulent behavior by a bank, lender or a “loan modification agency”? This toolkit will provide you with quick access to the resources you need.

Calculate the cost of refinancing your mortgage with Wells Fargo's Refinance Program for Existing Customers.

Do you own a Wells Fargo mortgage? Would you like to see your mortgage payments reduced, pay your mortgage off earlier and save money on interest? If your answer to both questions is yes, you may qualify for a Wells Fargo Refinance for Existing Customers. Banks know the value of reliable and trustworthy customers. They also know that clients with a good credit score can call the shots in today’s economy and find good deals if they want to. That is why major banks like Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo are providing their existing clients with special deals to improve their mortgages if they stick to their current bank.

What are the benefits?

Wells Fargo existing customers who apply for a refinance through Wells Fargo’s Refinance for Existing Customers Program do not have to pay application or appraisal fees for a refinance. There are no closing costs and the pricing (interest rate, points and other expenses) are locked once you fill in the application.

These benefits are substantial and may make it worth it for you to stay with Wells Fargo. However, other banks are also interested in your business if you have a good credit score and history, so it is always worth looking around for deals.

Back to the benefits of this program, you might want to consider the cost of application fees, closing costs and appraisal fees in a standard refinance. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve Guide on Refinancing, you can expect to pay from $75 to $300 as an application fee, a typical origination fee can cost you up to 1.5 percent of the loan’s balance, appraisal fees are going at $300 to $700, inspection fees at $175 to $350 and closing costs can cost you up to 2 percent of the pending balance. In a nutshell, the Wells Fargo Refinance Program for Existing Customers can save you thousands of dollars. How much you save will depend on your current mortgage early payment penalties, your current interest rate and y0ur new interest rate.

On the flip side, to qualify for a Wells Fargo Existing Customers Refinance you must have no cash-out refinance requirements (and that includes payoffs of other loans) and your property must not require a title change.

To apply visit Wells Fargo’s website or click here for a direct link.

You will need to supply personal information and details on your existing mortgage. If you have any questions when filling in your application you can contact Wells Fargo’s customer service desk free of charge at 877-937-9357 from Monday to Friday 8.am to 11 pm and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

by Andrew Latham

If you’re underwater on your home, you might have lost hope on refinancing your mortgage. It is true that if you owe more on your mortgage than its current market value, you are not going to get a line-up of lenders fighting to refinance your home. However, that doesn’t mean you are out of options. You may still benefit from today’s low-interest rates. Welcome to HARP, the government’s Making Home Affordable Program.

The Program
HARP allows homeowners who meet the program’s criteria to refinance their mortgages even through their homes are underwater. The program will refinance a loan that is between 105 and 125 percent of the home’s value. In other words, if the current market value of your home is $100,000, you can refinance up to $125,000.

Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for a HARP refinance you must satisfy the following criteria:
- You must be the owner and occupant of the home you wish to refinance.
- Your mortgage must be owned or guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie. If you do not know if Fannie or Freddie owns your mortgage, you can ask your mortgage lender (or servicer) or call the following toll-free numbers set by Fannie (1-800-7FANNIE) and Freddie (1-800-FREDDIE).
- You must be current on your mortgage payments. This is not really a program for homeowners who are struggling to make their payments. If you are behind on your payments you should consider a loan modification before you apply for a refinance.
- As mentioned above, your loan cannot be worth more than 125 percent of the market value of your home.
- You must prove you can afford the mortgage payments.
- The new loan must be a good deal for you. In other words, it must either drop the overall cost of your mortgage or/and increase its stability (e.g. switching from an ARM to a fixed-rate mortgage).

If you meet this criteria, you might qualify for a HARP refinance even if you’re underwater. You will have to hurry though, the program ends the 10th of June 2011. Visit MakingHomeAffordable.com for more details on this program. However, if you do not qualify for HARP, the government still offers another option to help you enjoy the current low-interest rates offered by lenders. Learn more in our next article in this series: Loan Modifications for Underwater Homes: Your Options.

by Andrew Latham

If you are one of the 11.3 million (and counting) homeowners who are underwater on their homes, you are probably not taking advantage of today’s low-interest rates. If on top of that you are behind in your payments or your credit history is poor, the likelihood of a lender approving your refinance application is negligible. That does not mean you cannot lower your mortgage payments and enjoy current interest rates. Welcome to HAMP, the federal mortgage aid program for underwater and struggling homeowners that doesn’t care what the market value of your home is.
HAMP, the Home Affordable Modification Program, is the Obama Administration’s response to the housing crisis. It is designed to offer struggling homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage, or are already behind on their payments, a chance to reduce their monthly payments by offering lenders financial incentives for approving loan modifications.
Although only your mortgage servicer or lender can approve your application, HAMP has some minimum requirements you must meet before you can even apply for a loan modification.

Requirements
To qualify for a HAMP loan modification on your underwater mortgage you must:
- Be the owner of a one- to four-unit home.
- The unpaid balance on your home must be equal or lower to following mortgage limits:
One Unit= $729,750
Two Units= $934,200
Three Units= $1,129,250
Four Units = $1,403,400
- Have signed your mortgage agreement before January 1, 2009.
- Your mortgage payments and associated housing costs must be more than 31 percent of your pre-tax income.
- You must be able to prove you are going through a financial hardship, and you can no longer afford your mortgage.

Misconceptions

Unfortunately, many counselors and even lender have provided bad advice to underwater homeowners hoping to join the government’s HAMP program. For instance, some lenders have advised their customers to stop making payments on their mortgage so they can qualify for a loan modification under the HAMP program. This is bad advice. Not paying your mortgage will simply put you deeper in debt. You can qualify for a HAMP modification even if you are not behind in your mortgage payments. As long as you can prove you are likely to default on the mortgage soon due to financial hardship, you can apply for a loan modification.

Our advice is to talk to your servicer as soon as possible and talk to a certified housing counselor before you make any important decisions on your mortgage. Call 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) to find a housing counselor approved by the Department of Housing near you, and ask how you can apply for a loan modification with HAMP.