by Kiel and Olga Pierce, ProPublica With millions of homeowners still struggling to stay in their homes, the Obama administration’s $75 billion foreclosure prevention program has been weakened, perhaps fatally, by lax oversight and a posture of cooperation–rather than enforcement–with the nation’s biggest banks. Those banks, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and Citibank, …
Beatrice “Dear Steve, My Husband and I bought a Condo in Los Angeles in March 2007. Terms were 80/20 loans each interest only for first 10 years. We did not put any money down. The value of our Condo has dropped more than 100k (per comparables mainly of short sales in the same building(yes, there …
by Srinivas Rao, ProPublica ProPublica asked a simple question of more than 700 homeowners dealing with the administration’s mortgage modification program: Knowing what you know now, what tips would you give someone who’s struggling with a mortgage payment?Their advice: Get help, stay organized, and don’t give up. In total, 718 homeowners, all of whom applied …
Loan Mod Profiles: Delayed then Denied, Often Mistakenly by Karen Weise ProPublica, Today, 10:09 a.m. Download the audio. Listen to David Moe talk about trying to get a loan mod. Retired pastor David Moe describes the process of trying to get a loan modification — only to be denied after more than a year — …
by Paul Kiel ProPublica, 48 minutes ago New York regulators have crafted new laws to give the state authority to punish mortgage servicers — something the Treasury Department, in administering its struggling mortgage modification program, has so far failed to do. The new rules set clear standards for how servicers must handle homeowners seeking a …
New data released Monday by the Treasury Department shows continued delays and disappointment faced by homeowners in the administration’s mortgage modification program. 190,000 homeowners remain stuck in trial mods that have lasted over six months, still waiting to hear whether they’ll receive a permanent modification. Most of those homeowners will likely be dropped from the …
The new data the Treasury Department released show a number of problems with the mortgage modification program. But JPMorgan Chase leads the pack when it comes to those stuck in loan mod limbo. JPMorgan Chase, the data show, has the most homeowners waiting more than six months for a final answer on whether they’ll get …
Carolyn Said of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote an excellent article “Loan modifications often damage credit scores” that covers the reality of the damage that occurs to credit from a loan modification. Here are some excerpts. You should read the full article for more information “Struggling homeowners who get a loan modification to reduce their …
In a clear “warning shot” to unscrupulous loan-modification consultants, California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that two women have each been sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to repay dozens of homeowners who were charged thousands of dollars in up-front fees for non-existent foreclosure-relief services. Marianne Curtis, 69, of Costa …
The Providence Journal had a great article on mortgage loan modification scams. Here is an excerpt. “Richard Godfrey, executive director of Rhode Island Housing, said that Rhode Island, which has been experiencing “800 foreclosures a month, virtually for two years, unabated,” has been fertile ground for loan-modification scam operators. Typically, scam artists charge up-front fees, …
