So in light of all a couple recent posts (Dahill, etal) on the new refinancing plans that Prez Obama has announced, I have this to report: I called my lender (Chase) this morning to ask them for advice on our mortgage (my husband and I have a 30 year fixed at %6.5). We’ve been making every payment on time, but as I was laid off last Nov. due to budget cuts, I’m slowly depleting my savings looking for work, and want to secure a more pragmatic rate. (Btw, the value of our BK coop has remained steady).

After being on hold for 20 minutes with the friendly folks at Chase, I was read to (yes, actually “read to”) by the deer-in-headlights “mortgage advisor” at Chase (I’m pretty sure she was at a call center in Manila–not that that is important, it’s more surreal than anything else) for about three minutes which gave vague bulletpoint details about Obama’s plan but no concrete assistance (ie, I wanted to ask Chase what I could actively do to improve our rate/payments over the long term, etc). She basically said they didn’t have any advice on the matter and re: the latest refi/home assistance plans coming out of DC, wouldn’t have any more info until probably the end of March.

So. I followed up by emailing our mortgage broker, who left me a VM saying that until Obama’s housing plans were actually IMPLEMENTED, they are more theory than anything else. She also said that since I’m recently unemployed, she suggests we do a loan modification instead of a refi, to avoid closing costs.

Just wanted to share my experiences and see what others out there in a similar situation have been contemplating!


Comments

  1. 7 STEPS TO MODIFYING YOUR MORTGAGE

    If You Are A Homeowner looking to modify your mortgage being prepared is the key to success.

    These 7 helpful hints will put you well on your way to gettiing it done.

    HOW TO SEQUENCE THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS

    1. Call your lender and ask them to send you a mortgage payoff statement, this is a letter that tells you how much you would need to give the lender to completely pay off your loan, this letter also includes other details, like a breakdown of all monies owed, arrears, late fees, legal fees, etc… This will help you when you are figuring out what you owe the lender, and calculating payments for your proposal. Many lenders will take a few days to get this to you, so order it right away.

    2. Determine The Properties Value:
    The following are some of the sources available for doing this…

    comps.com
    cyberhomes.com
    zillow.com
    propertyshark.com
    Get a Local Realtor CMA

    3. Get info on Loan Mod Policy of your lender:
    Call your lender and ask about their policies for loan modification
    Call a few times so you get different people on the phone
    Get their documentation requirements

    4. Gather necessary documentation:
    Mortgage Payoff Statement
    1 Month of Paystubs
    2 months bank statements
    IRA, 401K, or other retirement fund statements
    Stocks, bonds and other assets
    ALL of your MONTHLY bills

    5. Prepare Monthly Income and Expense Letter:
    See samples in FORMS section of this book

    6. Write Hardship / Loan Modification Proposal Letter:
    See samples in FORMS section of this book

    7. Send out your RESPA 6 document request letter:
    See samples in FORMS section of this book
    By fax and certified mail and e-mail
    Get every fax number at your lender known to man, yes, in every department,office, nook and cranny in their company.
    Get every e-mail address you can find at your lender
    GOOGLE search for this info (your not sleeping at night anyway)

    Now that you have a complete package it’s time to plan your attack.

    If you followed my instructions above you are already light years ahead of most people who try to negotiate their own loan modification.

    Once you get your negotiator on the phone you must be polite, but firm. They have the ability to help you get the best deal available.

    You’re almost there now, buckle in and get ready for the ride.

    More Hints Here:
    http://www.loanmodbook.com

  2. Thanks for sharing information about home loan modification. I think loan modification is a process for modifying loans for more affordable payments.

  3. ^^^^

    Yes. A part of Obama’s plan is to have mortgage payments be 31% of income and all bills total no more than 38%. As long as you have your paystubs to prove your pay cut and your mortgage is under $729,000, you should be able to modify your loan.

  4. I haven’t been laid off, but I accepted a substantial cut in my base salary. Would this still qualify as hardship for purposes of a loan modification?

  5. There are no responsible homebuyers in most parts of Brooklyn onlt greedy bafoons that went by the motto of. “If home prices go up rents go up too” ” I gotta a million dollar house even though I am not worth 2 cents

  6. “Responsbile Homewoner” definition includes people who put no money down (100% financing) + those who cashed out equity to buy cars, boats, vacations etc.

    The pontential for abuse under the loan modification system is big.

  7. Unfortunately from what I have read, a “Responsible Homeowner” is one who has LTV of 105%, and totaling housing payments exceeding 38% of income. It seems if you are truly responsible, you get to keep on paying your mortgage for your home at current rates and subsidize others who get to live in a nicer home for less money.

  8. From an article I read this morning: “The plan would create a $75 billion loan modification program that would allow “responsible homeowners” to refinance to interest rates as low as 2 percent.”

    I am wondering if we would we need to start another 30-year mortgage from scratch if we modified our loan? Also, we are paying PMI, as we put 5% down… would this still be a requirement under the new guidelines?