Nenita Dasalla- Single Family Residence Real Estate Sales Consultant

The Los Angeles Times

Though it was pronounced dead before arrival by opponents on Capitol Hill, President Obama’s new mortgage refinancing package contained far more than legislative proposals.

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http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-harney-20120212,0,6735336.story

The national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) increased for only the second time since the end of 2009, edging upward to 6.01 percent at the end of the fourth quarter 2011, according to TransUnion.
Between the third and fourth quarters of 2011, all but 13 states experienced increases in their mortgage delinquency rates. On a more granular level, 64 percent of metropolitan areas saw increases in their mortgage delinquency rates in Q4 2011. This is the same percentage as found in Q3 2011, but up from Q2 2011 when only 21 percent of MSAs experienced an increase.
“There tends to be a natural seasonality, evident well before the recession, of higher delinquencies in the fourth quarter, perhaps explained by borrowers balancing holiday spending vs. debt payments,” said Tim Martin, group vice president of U.S. Housing in TransUnion’s financial services business unit. “On the economic front, house prices continued to deteriorate in the fourth quarter and unemployment remained stubbornly high. This combination leads to more negative equity in homes and reduced real personal income that can affect borrowers’ ability and willingness to pay their mortgages.
“The more encouraging news is that, when looking year over year, more homeowners are making their mortgage payments and the delinquency rate dropped more than 6 percent since Q4 2010. While it is certainly good to see the rate dropping, at this pace it will take a very long time for mortgage delinquencies to get back to normal.”
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CNN Money

On Thursday, federal and state officials announced a $26 billion foreclosure settlement with five of the largest home lenders.  California is expected to receive approximately $12 billion in principal write-downs, including through short sales, over the next three years, according to the state attorney general’s office.

Making sense of the story

• The deal settles potential state charges about allegations of improper foreclosures based on robo-signing, seizures made without proper paperwork.
• The settlement sets up a federal monitor to oversee the process and try to prevent the challenges that tripped up many homeowners seeking help in earlier programs designed to address the housing crisis.
• Most of the relief will go to those who are underwater on their homes.  That relief will come over the course of the next three years, with banks having incentives to provide most of the relief in the next 12 months.
• At least $17 billion will go to reducing the principal owed by homeowners who are underwater and behind on their mortgages.
• Up to 750,000 other underwater homeowners who are current on their mortgages will be able to refinance their current loans at lower rates.  They will not receive a reduction in principal, but with mortgage rates near record lows, they could receive substantial savings on their monthly payments.
• Approximately $1.5 billion will go to homeowners who had their homes foreclosed upon between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011, and who meet other criteria.  They will receive up to $2,000 each.
• The five mortgage servicers that are parties to the settlement include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Ally Financial (formerly GMAC).

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http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/09/news/economy/mortgage_settlement/index.htm?hpt=hp_t1

The New York Times

Those who have issues with their mortgage lenders now have another place to take them: The Consumer Financial Read the full story
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/realestate/mortgages-on-troubleshooting.html?_r=1&ref=realestate

The Wall Street Journal

Converting home equity into cash has been a challenge for homeowners since the real-estate downturn, but a growing number of lenders are quietly reviving a loan for seniors that does just that: The reverse mortgage.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577158990079313270.html?mod=WSJ_RealEstate_LeftTopNews