Archive for the ‘Stop Foreclosure News’ Category
Credit card debt – how to deal with it in divorce?
Since the dawn of earth, we keep saying that marriages are made in heaven, but those marriages falls on their feet when the couple lack understanding between them and ultimately the result is divorce. It is tragedy situation when the family breakdown therefore the adjustment of kids and financial matters will become difficult.
Most part of difficulty arises when you have to separate the things like one house into two, one checking account into two and other bills like credit cards, utilities etc.
If you decided to end your marriage then there are certainly some issues that you need to look into like credit card debt, who is responsible for the debt that had accrued during and after the marriage? When you apply for the credit card, you enter into an agreement with Card Company that you are responsible for the purchases that are made through that card and to pay off all the balances in time.
It is common that when you are ending your marriage, obviously you might be splitting of the assets between two parties then why not splitting debt? Why only one partner has to bear all the debt which incurred for sake of family expenses. In this case it is likely that they include credit card debt also while splitting up their assets because that plays an important role in financial part for an individual. But the splitting of the credit card accounts is not such easy for the card companies and that takes long process and duration when the marriage dissolves.
So in a process of separating many issues need to be examined and deliberated on how to split the credit card debt. In this case, the person who continues to hold the family accounts will become responsible to get those bills and expected to pay them or else best way to handle that debt is to enter into a forced settlement agreement. By the time the marriage dissolution comes to an end the total debt will be calculated and will be divided between the so called partners.
In this case one partner manages the credit cards and the other only pays the set amount. And if the credit cards are used by either partner then it becomes the headache of the card issuer to adjust the amount between the two people.
In other case the card issuer may see the credit card debt as a joint responsibility of the couple but the spouse who had not incurred amount is not responsible to pay the amount. But the credit card companies will not agree to this and seek the payment form both the parties as they only care about the amount getting back.
In this case, two alternative solutions available. One is to sell the joint assets and pay the debt that incurred in the joint account and close the accounts.
Second is to open separate accounts on each of their names and do the balance transfer into their respective accounts and pay off depending on their availability.
These are the solution that a couple have when they are dealing with credit card debt after their divorce.
Is government is helping to stop foreclosure?
Due to financial crisis many people across the globe are loosing their home due to foreclosures. It has been know that people are losing their home due to their decreased earning capacity. Home owners have been putting their effort to stop foreclosure through various ways like loan modification, short sale, mortgage refinance but many are not aware that government is taking steps to help the home owner in avoiding foreclosures.
The federal government took action to provide help to victims of mortgage foreclosures crisis that has been affecting the economy of United States. The reason behind taking this initiative is to help home owners to keep their homes.
FHA secure is the new initiative administered by the federal government housing administration. It is program that provides mortgage insurance to home owners who have good credit score and still unable to meet the mortgage monthly payments due to interest rate changes which lead to increase in monthly instalments. Under this new FHA secure, home owners can make of use refinance option to make payments and be current with mortgage.
With this new initiative along with other programs, more than 240,000 families will manage to save their homes from being foreclosed. The home owners, who are in trouble to repay their mortgage, cannot even refinance only because of the fact that home prices are continuously declining instead of rising at the same time the mortgage rates are climbing higher.
The home owners who are willing to refinance their home loan at reduced interest rate compared to present interest rates were discouraged with present circumstances of inability to refinance mortgage. This initiative will be helpful to those families who could have saved their house if they have an option to refinance.
Experts feel that due to this present condition of the home owners the economic situation of the nation is at risk. Adjustable rate mortgage is one, which makes the condition more badly. It is because in adjustable rate mortgage, rate of interest is lower in the beginning which lures the home owners to avail it but in the later stages as the interest rates continue to move up, it affect the financial condition of the borrowers.
In order to recover economy of united state federal government had tried many ways like cutting down the rate of federal fund, $200 million budget allocation to pay for prevention of foreclosures, having non profit money approved by the government to help home owners facing a foreclosure crisis and a new initiative brought by federal housing administration called FHA secure had already announced $44 million in grants for more than 400 local and state wide programs.
This way the federal government want to help the home owners in making their mortgage payments there by giving hope to lenders and home owners who are facing foreclosures. With help of government measure that are available, home owners problems can be addressed like refinancing and credit issues and get out of the trouble of foreclosure of their homes.
Using Bankruptcy to Stop Foreclosure
You lost your job and now you can not afford to pay off your mortgage. This is becoming one of the biggest problems in America. Many homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure due to the fact that they can not afford to pay back the mortgage that you took out for the home. Now this leaves you sitting and wondering what you can do to keep a roof over your families head. Many homeowners are thinking that bankruptcy can stop foreclosure. It may but at the same time it can hurt more than it helps.
Bankruptcy is a legal action that is designed to help those who get so far into debt they can not possibly pay back any of the creditors. It is not used as a means to help those who ignore debts pay them off. Stopping foreclosure with bankruptcy has been done in the past and you can also stop foreclosure if you have everything you need in place.
After you bankruptcy is discharged the mortgage company can come back on you and continue the foreclosure right where it left off. This is why you need to have a plan in place to pay it off and take care of the back payments or the entire loan amount. Bankruptcy by itself is only a pause button for foreclosure; it will not stop it completely but only slow it down.
There are other ways to stop foreclosure that might seem a bit on the difficult side, but at the same time you will not have a bankruptcy on your credit report. Getting approved for a loan as a means to stop the foreclosure is the best method and it will save your credit rating. There are many loan programs available to the homeowner these days. Some are even backed by the government. This gives you all the leverage you need when trying to find a way to stop foreclosure.
A loan can be a home equity loan, personal loan, or another mortgage if you qualify. Always remember that whatever route you take to pay off your current debts, you have to have the means to keep from falling into the same condition as before. Taking out a loan to pay a loan is not always the best method, but it will stop foreclosure in its tracks. So it might be the only answer to your problems.
The government backed program of loan modification is another great option. This is where you contact the lender to see if you qualify for a loan modification. They can set up a program where you are put on probation for 3 months. If you can show that you will make full payments on time each month, then you can qualify for a loan modification. This is where you can make lower payments each month by adding a few years on at the end of your mortgage. Instead of 30 years it moves to 40. Some homeowners have seen a drop in interest rate to help them be able to afford the payments.
Appropriate Alternatives For Stopping Foreclosure
Are you a homeowner who has been trying to stop a foreclosure? Within the next few minutes you’ll learn some invaluable foreclosure solutions that will help you save your home and give you peace of mind.
If you are like most folks, you are looking for foreclosure help because of extenuating circumstances that have pushed your back up against a wall. This includes:
•Sudden job loss or lay off
•Family medical emergency or illness
•Death of a spouse
•Divorce or loss of additional income
•Overwhelming debt obligations such as credit card debt
•Decrease in pay
•Inability to handle adjustable interest rates
•Natural disaster or unexpected major maintenance issue
This list could go on and on, but you get the big picture right? As you learn how to stop foreclosure on your house, the main thing to keep in mind is that Lenders do not want to take the necessary foreclosure steps when you default on the loan any more than you do. However, filing a Notice of Default is the only way they can protect their interests.
So, if you haven’t already done so, contact your lender at once. Lay down your pride, and don’t ignore letters and notices from your lender. This approach will definitely cause the situation to get worse.
If you don’t ask, you may never know what other options are available to you. Often times lenders have certain hardship polices in place to help homeowners who have found themselves in a jam. Now is the time to find out how to stop foreclosure before the process begins.
Consider the following options that may be available to you:
Make Up Your Payments In A Timely Fashion – Before starting the foreclosure process and taking legal action against you, your lender may be willing to let you work out a type of repayment plan. This is typically called forbearance and allows you to make up missed payments in a manner that is affordable for you.
Forgive Your Missed Payment – In some instances, the lender may be able to waive a missed payment. Debt forgiveness is not common; however, it may be an option for you depending on your previous payment history.
Rework The Terms Of Your Loan – For adjustable loans, your lender may opt to freeze the interest rate before it jumps sky high. They may even change the interest rate all together to a rate that works out better for you.
Refinance And Tack Back Payments To Your Loan Balance – With the right amount of equity and meeting specific guidelines, your lender may be able to increase the full amount of your loan by adding back payments and re-amortizing the loan.
Apply For A New Loan – You may qualify for certain government loans that allow borrowers to apply for a partial claim loan to pay back any missed payments.
Short Sale – You may be a good candidate for a short sale where you negotiate with your lender to sell your home even though your home is worth less than what you currently owe.
Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure – Think about deeding your home back to the lender. If the lender agrees, they will forgive the mortgage and cancel foreclosure services.
Know that foreclosure isn’t the end of the road. By exercising any one of the options listed here, you may be able to save your home or get out of a mortgage you can no longer afford. There are many ways to stop foreclosure, you simply need to decide what route is best for you and then take action.
Know about foreclosure real estate investing
One must be very careful while investing in real estate market. Buying a home is always been a dream to many people, whether you buy for flipping or for investment. The basic rule of any investment is to wait for drop in values and grab them at lowest price and hold until they appreciate in value to make profits. The same is true for property investment. Under the current economic condition with downside in the housing market you can invest in real estate market at very competitive prices.
When you play well, investing in foreclosed properties can fetch you profitable venture. Investing in real estate can fetch you great rewards and is profitable to you. But it requires time, hard work and effort to fetch you profits. It is profitable in long term, nothing can happen overnight.
Investing in foreclosed homes brings you great rewards, it fetch you lot of money. One benefit of investing in foreclosed home is that you get them less than the market value prices. Although it may require renovation as they are bought at low price, you can afford for renovation.
The current economic downturn and debt wave was triggered mainly due to real estate which represents losses to many investors but it has huge opportunities for investors. Investing in foreclosed home you can get great properties at very low prices which can fetch you great rewards. As with any other investment, real estate market has upside and downside but knowing those movements and grabbing the opportunity what makes the difference between the expert investor and others.
What is the process to buy foreclosed property? When the home owner defaults his mortgage payments the property is placed for sale through real estate auction. In order to buy properties through real estate auction you must submit a bid with minimum amount equal to loan and other cost associated with it. If your bid is accepted then you are liable for all the cost associated with that property.
Before you submit your bid in real estate auction you must do research on the property you are investing. First know the value of the home. With current economy and housing market conditions you must find out the value of the property before you decide. No one can afford to pay more that what it worth; the value varies from area to area. This can be done through comparative market analysis. You can find out property prices in last 6 months in that area. Compare the features and facilities of the properties along with price in the same area.
Second, title of property: you must protect yourself through throw examination of title of the property. The property should have clean title free of any liens.
Third, due diligence: your contract should have enough time to perform due diligence, this is required to check facilities around your properties like schools, shopping area etc.
The benefit of investing in foreclosed property only rewards you when you find out house and pay low market value price. Not all foreclosed property is best deal. You have to search for best deals that can happen as you grab the best investment property in real estate.
Know what adjustable rate mortgage- loan modification
Adjustable rate mortgage as the name suggest, it is a mortgage for which interest rate is modified according to market conditions. This is exactly opposite to fixed rate mortgage, where the interest rate is fixed for whole term of the loan. With world wide financial crisis especially US banking and mortgage crisis it is important to understand adjustable rate mortgage- how they work and what is it’s impact on you? Before you decide it is important to weigh advantages and disadvantages of adjusted rate mortgage and fixed rate mortgage is suitable for you.
In order to decide which rate is suitable you must first understand how adjustable rate mortgage is calculated. Index and margin are the two factors which determine the adjustable rate mortgage. Index is the standard measure of interest rate for ARM and margin is an extra percent amount added to the index by the lender. In case if the index moves up the interest rate also goes up and hence increase in monthly payments in other case if the index comes down the interest rate also comes down and hence decreases in monthly payments.
There are different indexes upon which the lender bases the ARM rates, therefore it is better to find out which index is used to determine ARM and how it is performed in the past and where to find the information about that particular index.
The margin is the factor which determines ARM rates. Margin may differ from lender to lender, but it will be constant over the term of the loan. Suppose the lender uses the index which is 4% currently and add 2% margin then the total rate adds up to 6%.
Generally margin is determined with your credit score, lender base your margin amount on your credit score. If you have good credit score, lower the margin else higher margin. You can limit an increase or decrease in interest rate with interest rate cap.
There are two forms of interest rate cap: one is periodic adjustment cap which limits the percent of interest rate can be moved up or down in one adjustment period to next one.
And the other one is life time cap. This one limits the movement of interest rate for the life of the loan.
A payment cap can be used to limit the movement upside or downside for the life of the loan. With payment cap can lead to increase or decrease in the term of loan. It is called negative amortization.
What are the features of ARM?
With ARM, lender generally charges lower interest rate initially and it makes ARM useful initially. If the interest rate remains constant or moves lower, this can be advantage to you in long term. However, it is risky if there is increase in interest rate in future, so increase in monthly payments. This initial rate and payment will remain stable for limited period and max of 5 years. After initial period, the interest rate and monthly payments regularly change.
Before you decide any loan, first read the details about the loan.
Loan modification with bank of America
If you are one of the home owners who are falling behind on your payments then you must know the options available to stop foreclosure. Below listed are some of the options to stop foreclosure.
1) Forbearance
2) Loan modification
3) Repayment plan
This options help in retention of home ownership by bringing the loan current or provide relief till they can be reinstated.
With just about every company bank of America has came up with loan modification program for its customer who are unable to pay their loan payments because of default credit history, poor market conditions and financial crisis.
Bank of America loan modification is all about revising the existing loan with some changes in the existing terms and conditions of the loan. The features of the home loan modification include no late fee, no foreclosure charges, reduced interest rate and principal increased term and decrease in monthly payments etc.
Bank of America has come up with an exiting program to ease home owner’s problems and troubles related to foreclosure.
1) Adjustable rate loan: bank of America adjustable rate program offers you lower interest rate initially for fixed period may be for 5 or 3 years and then change in the interest rate, after completion of the initial tenure. Depending on the market conditions your interest rate may increase of decrease in future.
Bank of America options for adjustable rate loans are:
5/1 ARM: in this option your interest rate will be fixed and will be low for this loan and then changes every year till it comes to its original rate and increase by 1 percentage points.
3/1 ARM: in this option your interest rate will be fixed for 3 years with lower interest rate and then changes every year by one percentage points till it comes to its original rate.
2) 30 years fixed rate program: in this type of program interest rate remains unchanged through out the life of the loan. It never changes even if the market scenario changes.
This is suitable for those who are willing to pay lower EMI of the loan.
3) 40 years fixed rate program: in this type of program interest rate remains unchanged through out the life of the loan. Here you have to pay more interest as the loan is extended for longer period. This is suitable for those who can afford for lower EMI of the loan.
How to approach, bank of America for loan modification? Here are some of the guidelines on how to approach for successful loan modification with bank of America.
First go through the guidelines of bank of America to check whether you are eligible for loan modification. Even if you are an existing customer, you may not be eligible under some circumstances for loan modification. It is better check before you apply in order to avoid rejection at latter stage.
Speak to concerned department. Call up the bank of America customer service department and tell them about your hardship and interest in loan modification.
Never give an incomplete file. Arrange all the documents required by the bank of America for modification of the loan in a file. Make sure that you are having all the documents from income to expenditure and credit card statements etc.
Prepare a hardship letter: your hardship letter must be compiled with bank of America guidelines. A hardship according to bank of America is a situation which makes the borrower financially in capable to pay the loan amount. It includes death, job loss, accident etc.
Never provide any wrong information. Bank of America will scrutinize documents thoroughly, if you are found of submitting fake documents then your application will be rejected.
Loan modification programs: know for whom do you qualify
Loan modification program is a plan under which your loan modifies according terms and conditions of the program and it depend on your eligibility of the plan. There are many loan modification programs under which you are eligible can modify your loan.
Trying to apply for loan modification but confused about which program you apply for, then here are some of the guidelines to help you decide the loan modification programs.
1) Loan modification programs for principal reduction: this is possible when you owe more on mortgage than actually what your home worth. This is not the situation of you alone, last year the value of homes declined incredibly, destroying the home equity of homeowner around the world. But when you default on your mortgage and fall being your payments because of financial crisis, due to job loss, accident to family member, death of an earning member etc. could be the possible reasons to fall behind the payments. The banks has no option to recover their amount of loan mortgage when you default payment other than foreclose your home. But what happens if your home equity is less than the mortgage you owe. If the lender thinks that he may loss more with foreclose than with loan modification, here is when the banks advises for loan modification. Generally principle reduction loan modification is advisable when the home equity falls 25% below your mortgage.
The eligibility for principal reduction:
1) The house should be your primary home.
2) You need to show your income proof, so that you can pay lower amount with out
any further default.
3) You must be at least 60 days behind with your payments
4) Or able to prove your financial hardship.
2) Loan modification with federal bailout: the federal government has designed two helpful bailout plans. First, mortgage loan modification: if you are already behind the mortgage payments, you are at risk of foreclosure. In order to escape the foreclosure you must qualify for the federal bail out plan. The requirement of the fedral bail out plan is:
1) Your mortgage should be your primary residence
2) You need to submit updated tax returns and proof of income.
3) The mortgage must be taken before January 1 2009.
4) Your first mortgage should be below $729500
5) If your household debt exceed 55% of your regular income and under go credit counseling.
6) You need to submit financial hardship letter signed by yourself
The advantages of this federal loan modification program are:
1) Your monthly payments can come down by 31% of you monthly income.
2) A low interest rate
3) No loan modification fee as they are taken care by the government
Learn more about Obama federal loan modification program and other loan modification offers by the bank individually
Tips to approach your lender for loan modification
Loan modification is considered as one of the best option when trying to save your home from foreclosure when compared to other options. It is basically changing the existing loan terms such as change in interest rate, type of interest rate, monthly payments and the term of the loan. If your loan modification application gets approved, then it may help you with reduction in monthly payments, so that you can retain your home.
If you success in convincing the lender for loan modification then you can get reduced interest rate, reduced EMI, changes in terms and conditions, avoid foreclosure, increase term of loan, increase in loan amount, waived of late fees, lowering principal balance, convert adjustable rate to fixed rate, no penalties on missed payments. You will get this type of benefits only when your loan modification application gets approved.
Approach your lender with in time. Do not wait till you miss payments. Approach the lender when you feel that you may get behind the payments. Get behind the payments means you record negative remarks on your credit score. Negative credit score means it will affect your financial ability to get loan in future. So it is better you approach the lender in time to get you be on current loan.
Write an effective hardship letter requesting loan modification to lender: your hardship letter must clearly state your financial situation to lender, tell them why you require loan modification and convince them for loan modification. You must write the letter as early as possible, it must be simple and concise. It must give enough information about your income and expenditure and it should state the reason for your financial crisis and it should also show your interest and desperation on loan settlement and you can only request the bank for loan modification through hardship letter.
You must be able to calculate debt ratio correctly so that you could know what amount you can pay monthly in long run.
You must file all the necessary documents which support your disclosed information which includes bank statements, employment details, and credit history. They should be arranged in proper order to avoid confusion.
Follow the guidelines of the bank: submit complete and accurate loan modification application to your lender, missing any paperwork can lead to rejection of the application. So to avoid the rejection make sure you cross check the documents before you submit to the lender.
Borrower who has knowledge on how to apply loan modification will be able to prepare much better application to lender. If you need any information on how to approach your lender for loan modifications
Loan modification application was denied – what might be the reasons?
Everyday banks receive lot of loan modification applications. Not knowing the guidelines and rules of the bank can decline chances of getting approved of your loan modification application. The major percentage of loan modification application is the supporting documents which prove you have done everything under your control to save your home. One of the common reasons, the loan modification application being declined, is unable to produce paper work properly. The supporting documents should be filed properly according to the guidelines of the bank for approval. This article let you know the common mistakes which the homeowners were used to do while filling the loan modification application.
Not aware of the policies and guidelines of the bank before filing loan modification application. Make sure that you fulfill all the guidelines of the bank before filing loan modification application. Every home owner must successfully meet lender guidelines while applying loan modification. Research what exactly the most current guidelines are.
Not preparing hardship letter well: one of the most important documents you should submit when you are applying loan modification is hardship letter. A hardship letter is way of explaining your financial difficulty you are experiencing because of which you are unable to meet your financial commitments. A well formatted hardship letter will improve your chances of approval of loan modification.
You may not be honest with the facts you mentioned. If you filled the information that is inaccurate and incomplete which was identified during verification process then it could be rejected. Try to be honest with your income and expenditure statement. When trying to obtain help make sure that you don’t lie on your loan modification application.
Know how to file loan modification forms correctly. Knowing how to file the loan modification application is the most important factor because it is a means of conveying and letting the lender know your eligibility for loan modification to save your home provided you learn and prepare the paper work correctly.
Excessive use of credit cards: if you are committed to secure loan modification with best terms then you should have control of your debt. You should keep your debts as low as possible. If possible pay off your credit card balances, or keep as low as possible.
Bad or late payments: although you are facing financial hardship, try to keep your bill payments current while you are trying to obtain loan modification help. This will help you to get best negotiation terms like interest rare, term length and EMI on your new loan.
Lack of understanding of the loan modification process: having a good understanding of the loan modification process will help you better. Properly written financial statements according to guidelines of the bank are important when you are seeking loan modification help. This income and expenditure statement shows your decrease in your income and how you are capable to afford modified loan. You should learn to calculate the desired monthly payment and these monthly payments should meet the debt ratio of the bank to be eligible for loan modification.
To prepare critical documents for loan modification to avoid the rejection of your application latter, take the help of loan Modification Company which will assist you to improve your chance of getting your application approved.