Archive for February, 2008

Delinquent Homeowners Get a New “Lifeline”

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

..The new program dubbed Project Lifeline extends earlier Hope NOW efforts to include those who are seriously delinquent whether their problems are with subprime, Alt A or prime loans and will even assist those in foreclosure with second mortgages or home equity lines. ...The hotline is now handling over 4,000 calls ...

Two Changes in Tax Code May Benefit Some Homeowners

Monday, February 11th, 2008

There are two small changes in the tax code this year that may benefit some homeowners. The first change deals with the deduction of premiums for private mortgage insurance while the second helps homeowners whose homes were foreclosed in the last year or who gave a deed in lieu of ...

Cash-Out Refi’s Declining in Both Numbers and Amounts

Friday, February 8th, 2008

In spite of declining house prices and tightening credit, Americans are continuing to pull cash out of their homes according to Freddie Mac's Cash-Out Refinance Report for the fourth quarter of 2007, but in fewer numbers and much lower amounts than recorded even one quarter earlier. 81 percent of Freddie Mac-owned ...

“Foreclosure Avalanche” Prompts Servicer Survey

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

In a conference call/press conference on Thursday, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) released its first report on loss mitigation efforts as reported by 13 major residential mortgage servicers. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller explained that the report grew out of a concern dating back to last summer that the ...

Mortgage Rates Reclaim Last Week’s Declines

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

It was nice while it lasted but mortgage rates last week reversed a four week downward trend and made up much of the ground they lost a week earlier. However, they still remained well below where they were at the end of 2007 when the four-week slide began. The volume of ...

Keeping Them Honest - Comparing 2007 Forecasts With Reality

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

With the New Year it is interesting to look back to the forecast issued in January 2007 and compare it with the January 2008 outlook which came out late last month. In some cases the economists at Freddie Mac had a pretty clear vision of what 2007 would be like, ...

Many Mortgage Delinquents Still Unaware There Is Help

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Freddie Mac has released a survey done in cooperation with Roper Public Affairs and Media, a leading international market research firm that shows 57 percent of borrowers who are behind in their payments are unaware that their lenders may be able to offer them workout options. The study concludes that ...