The huge 75 billion dollar bailout back in February was supposed to provide funding to help provide foreclosure relief for millions of Americans behind on their mortgages. However, the number of people who have actually been helped by the program is dismal. The government hopes to pressure banks into processing more loan modifications for borrowers.
The banks say that one of the biggest problems is that the people who could probably qualify for loan modifications simply don’t turn in complete applications. They need to fill out the paperwork completely in order to qualify. Less than 40% of homeowners who could qualify have completed the application process. There sure must be a lot of paperwork involved if so few have been able to follow through with getting it all filled out.
If over 225,000 people didn’t complete their forms, there were a bit fewer than 150,000 who did. About 50,000 of the people who completed their applications have not heard anything yet. Of the 100,000 who have, roughly 1. 7% actually got permanent modifications to their loans. That’s a pretty pathetic figure.
The government is sending SWAT teams from the Treasury Department to visit lenders next week in an effort to get them to cooperate with the loan modification program. The plan is to embarrass the banks that are not doing their part by publishing a list of the companies for the American public to see. Somehow I don’t see that working.
It looks like the much needed foreclosure relief that was promised by the government is moving slowly. Making the program voluntary was a huge mistake that government officials really should have seen coming. Is it any big surprise that mortgage companies don’t want to reduce the amount of money they are owed and take a smaller profit on those mortgages? Everyone looks out for their own bottom line, and that especially includes mortgage companies.
To learn more information about mortgage loan modification, visit Janian & Associates for the best advice from a qualified loan modification attorney.
No comments yet.