Foreclosure evictions suspended through the holidays

In an effort to help families facing a foreclosure in the midst of the holiday season, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae made announcements recently and suspended foreclosure evictions from December 19, 2009 through January 3, 2010. In Freddie Mac's announcement, the company said it will suspend all evictions involving foreclosed, occupied single family and two to four unit properties that had Freddie Mac-owned mortgages. Fannie Mae had no inclusions and said all owner-occupants and tenants living in foreclosed properties the company holds will not be subject to evictions during this time frame, and Fannie Mae said it will also support the efforts of the servicers it works with that are taking similar actions.

Fewer Underwater Mortgages

Fewer people are underwater on their mortgage--further evidence that the real estate free-fall may be slowing. Just 21% of all single-family homeowners owe more on their mortgage balances than their homes are worth, according to a third quarter residential real estate report from Zillow.com. That is down from 23% at the end of the second quarter. That's good news because it should help reduce the number of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure. Being underwater is one of the two factors that lead to foreclosure, the other being, of course, not having enough income to make the monthly payments. But there's a second, less-positive factor that contributed to the reduction in underwater borrowers: foreclosures. So many people have already lost their homes that the ranks of those underwater are slowly dwindling.

Source: Zillow.com, CNNMoney.com

NC Interactive Foreclosure Map

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/104/story/642521.html

What's In the Foreclosure Prevention Plan

The Obama administration yesterday released its long-awaited plan to stem foreclosures. It's organized into three categories:

1.) Help for home owners making their payments but at risk of default and foreclosure.

Home owners with a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan would be eligible to refinance as long as their mortgage doesn't exceed 105 percent of the home's current market value. Currently owners need to have at least 20 percent equity. Potential impact: 4-5 million households.

2.) Help for home owners already in default and in need of loan modification.

For lenders that voluntarily agree to lower a borrower's payment so that it makes up no more than 38 percent of the borrower's income, the government would share the cost of lowering the mortgage burden to 31 percent of income. Incentives to lenders to participate include a $1,000 payment.

Borrowers can receive up to $1,000 as an incentive to stay current on their new mortgage. Still in the works is a proposed provision that would allow bankruptcy judges to require loan modification (known as a cramdown) as part of a household's restructuring. That provision requires legislation by Congress. Estimated potential impact: 3-4 million households.

3.) Doubled resources to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

To encourage investors to buy the secondary market companies' mortgage-backed securities, the government explicitly backstops them to up to $400 billion, twice the current amount.

The plan does not provide help to investors or to home owners who are in trouble with a second home, nor does it apply to homeowners whose mortgage is part of a private-label mortgage security that is not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

"The administration's proposed plan, combined with provisions like the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit in the just-enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help minimize foreclosures, shrink housing inventory, stabilize home values, and move the country closer to an economic recovery," says NAR President Charles McMillan.