Archive for the ‘Home Mortgage Loan’ Category

FHA Loan Mortgage Defaults in High-Cost California Areas

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

FHA loan mortgage defaults are expected to continue in high cost communities in California because of the rising number of high cost loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration in the state.

The FHA has been insuring loans not only in high cost neighborhoods; it has also been insuring mortgages covering four-unit residential units purchased with very low down payments.

In a particular home loan criticized by the New York Times, three technology professionals teamed up and bought a two-unit apartment worth almost $1 million with a loan insured by FHA and with only a $33,000 down payment.

Critics said that it would be easier for the borrowers to walk out on their FHA loan if they face difficulties because they invested only $33,000.

Based on data from the Mortgage Bankers of America, the default rate for loans taken out to buy 1-to-4-unit residential properties increased to 9.6 percent of all home loans in the July-September 2009, an increase of 40 points from the April-June quarter and an increase of 265 points from last year’s third quarter.

Jay Brinkmann, chief economist of the MBA, said that the default rate for FHA loan mortgage loans has risen despite a significant rise in approved FHA loans. Over the past 12 months, the number of home loans guaranteed by FHA rose by around 1.1 million loans, increasing the denominator for computing the default and foreclosure rates.

But still, according to Brinkmann, the default rate increased. He further explained that if the newly guaranteed home loans were not the ones getting delinquent, the rate of foreclosure would be higher at 1.76 percent, above 1.31 percent if the new loans were considered.

The MBA also reported that one out of every 6 FHA borrowers was in default on their home loans as of the three-month period ended September.

In the 1930s, FHA home loans were introduced to enable low-income families unable to afford the typical 20-percent down payments to own homes. They paid a higher insurance premium, but their down payments could be lowered to just 3.5 percent.

During this recession, the FHA loan limits were temporarily increased to stimulate the declining housing market, increasing conforming limits to $729,750 for single-family homes and to $934,200 for two-unit residential properties.

In California, which has the biggest number of foreclosure homes in the country, there are over 107,000 loan mortgage accounts guaranteed by the FHA this year, many of which are expected to default and go into foreclosure.

Experts: Mortgage Loans Refinancing Not Good Enough

Monday, October 26th, 2009

The federal mortgage loans refinancing program has produced disappointing results seven months after it was launched to help struggling homeowners who have no or little equity refinance their loans.

So far, the refinancing program has helped no more than 3 percent of its targeted number of struggling borrowers, prompting industry experts to say that the program is not enough to help many distressed homeowners avoid foreclosures.

Experts said that the poor performance of the program is an indication of how difficult it is to help the increasing number of homeowners who owe more on their mortgage than the total value of their houses.

The refinancing program is one of the major components of the federal government’s efforts to abate the growing foreclosure problem, stabilize and strengthen the housing market. However, the refinancing program has received a mediocre public attention compared with its companion program, the mortgage loans modification which motivates lenders to modify troubled loans to make them affordable for borrowers who are at risk of foreclosures.

The refinancing program is geared towards struggling borrowers who owe more on their mortgage than the total value of their homes. The program works on the premise that helping struggling borrowers refinance their loans into affordable terms would save them from future troubles.

The program involves suspending the traditional equity requirement for refinancing in an effort to help them stave off foreclosure. Those who are eligible include homeowners who have loans guaranteed by mortgage financiers, Federal National Mortgage Association and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.

So far, the program has helped nearly 130,000 out of the target 5 million borrowers that the Obama Administration has identified as eligible for the program.

According to market data, one third of the total number of borrowers in the country have mortgages greater than the value of their properties. In Washington, nearly 34 percent of homeowners had zero equity in the first quarter of this year. The problem of lack of equity is more acute for homeowners who took out mortgages in 2007 and 2006, with 60 percent of them having properties that are worth less than their mortgages.

Industry experts said that struggling borrowers do not find mortgage loans refinancing an attractive option because they end up still owing more on their mortgage than the value of their properties and could only regain equity after giving payments for several years.

Get Approved for a Bank Loan Easily

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Applying for a bank loan is not as simple as it was before. Back then, you would just have to go to a bank and talk to a lender, and then your loan would get approved. Now, you have to go through a different process before you can have your loan approved.

The main reason for this is that banks and lending institutions are now more cautious about releasing their money to people. They have higher standards and stricter requirements. Here are some tips for you on how you can approach a bank for your personal loan:

  • Start with a local lending institution. Do not go far. You can look at the banks in your area, because they are the ones that would most likely lend you cash. Choose a bank that you have history with. This would increase your chances of getting approved for a loan. A better thing is when you know someone in the bank. You can talk to them directly and help you get the loan that you want.
  • Communicate right. State your reason for application matter-of-factly. If you are going to use the bank loan for medical expenses, simply tell the lending institution about that. You do not have to go into monologues stating what happened to you and what you need. Make sure that you are able to communicate well with the bank representative. You can bring proofs of your good credit and bank standing to strengthen your application.
  • Negotiate for the interest rate. Before applying for a loan, it is best if you first conduct your own research about the prevailing interest rates. Find out about low interest rates and how you can get them.
  • Take a second mortgage into consideration. You can get a home equity loan if you currently own a home. However, it is best if you first try out for a personal loan. If you go for a second loan and something goes wrong, you can lose your home.
  • You should also be able to evaluate if you really need to apply for a bank loan. If you think that you can instead save up for the expenses you need, then it would be best to just do that instead.

    Financial Mortgage Loans Take Banks Hostage

    Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

    Financial mortgage loans can take banks and other institutions hostage if foreclosures continue to dampen the real estate market. Even though hope can be seen, there are still a significant number of houses that are foreclosed properties and are selling for much lower prices. This creates negative effects on the whole real estate market.
    Last [...]

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    Home Equity Loans during the Economic Recession

    Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

    Home equity loans are now difficult to obtain because of the housing market meltdown. Lenders are now extremely careful about their lending activities, having been burned by huge amounts of losses in their real estate portfolio.
    In California, at least two lenders have been targeted by lawsuits charging them for their refusal to provide home equity [...]

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    Personal Loans: Make Sure They Are Worth Their Expensive Price

    Friday, September 4th, 2009

    Personal loans are often easy to obtain, but they are also often given at high costs – high interest rates, high processing fees and very short terms.
    If you browse the Internet for personal loans, you would be overwhelmed by the number of web sites and companies offering personal loans that you can get online [...]

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    Home Mortgage Interest Rates Pose Threat of More Foreclosures

    Thursday, February 26th, 2009

    According to the Treasury Department, around 420,000 adjustable rate home mortgages are expected to reset in 2009. However, instead of interest rates going up to 12 percent or more, rates are falling to values that are extremely low. In fact, some rates have been recorded as the lowest in 37 years.
    Adjustable rate mortgages start [...]

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    ARM: Home Mortgage with Benefits and Risks

    Friday, February 20th, 2009

    Home buyers usually choose adjustable home rates with its low initial monthly dues. But taking it from its name “adjustable”, the low monthly payments may increase or decrease in time. What makes it worse is that the home mortgage rate’s rise or fall is unpredictable that if it increases to a level of unmanageability.
    So, to [...]

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    Are Credit Scores Reliable Bases for Home Mortgage Loans?

    Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

    A person who has experienced foreclosure has permanently imprinted a bad record on himself, decreasing his chances of getting approved for a home mortgage loan. This is because when a person is being evaluated for loan approval, his credit score will be considered.
    A person’s credit score is a number that determines whether a person [...]

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    Home Mortgage Problems Continue Even with Fed, Admin action

    Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

    The country continues to reel from home mortgage problems even as both the Federal Reserve and the Obama administration are busy exploring options and unveiling plans to help solve the country’s economic slowdown, turning out to be the longest since World War II.
    Just recently, Obama announced that a decrease in home mortgage loan rates will [...]

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