31st
March
2009
It appears that more than just homeowners are walking away from foreclosures. Apparently banks are too. This is thought by many to be the next wave of the housing crisis.
On another note the Old E. Baltimore project is mostly done but I still need to get past the inspections for city and section 8. I’m on my fourth plumber now and counting. Hopefully this one will get it right and actually pass the inspection. Once that’s done I’ll post pics but its probably not a good idea to post them before. Most of the work on this one was done prior to my purchase so the inspection is always a crap shoot. It really just depends on the inspector and his/her mood.
posted in Mortgages, Old E Baltimore Project, economy |
5th
March
2009
Let the games begin! Today, March 5 is the official first day that home owners can call their mortgage companies to apply for mortgage relief under the new Homeowner Affordability and Stability plan by the Obama administration. Administration Officials said that homeowners could actually start making calls yesterday and banks like JPM Chase and SunTrust reported call volume increases of 150 and 50 percent respectively. Homeowners will need to be patient as lenders scramble to get their systems in place to handle the huge increases in call volume. Some callers have reported waiting for several hours before getting through to speak with a real person. Banks such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo have given high marks to the plan along with many economists who think that the new guidelines will help with the current crisis. Under the plan homeowners with loans as large as $729,750 may see their interest rates cut to as low as 2 percent. The refinancing part of the program is expected to reduce payments for up to 5 million homeowners but is limited to loans owned or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Homeowners must also apply by June 2010.
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posted in Financing, Foreclosure, economy |