Principal Reduction Will Solve The Housing Crisis and Jumpstart The Economy

Realty Times has a blow-out article written by Tanya Marchiol, President of Team Investments, an Arizona real estate broker.

The gist -

The American economy is chained to the crushing housing debt load. Chronic unemployment, foreclosures, and small business closings can all ultimately be traced back to the housing crisis. Working families across the country have seen their home values plummet, have had their life savings wiped clean, have been powerless to help when their loved ones lost their jobs, and in too many cases watched helplessly while they lost their homes to banks that continue to post billion-dollar profits and pay out billion-dollar bonuses. Add to that the trillions in bailouts and backstops that taxpayers gave to the banks, and one thing is clear: tax payers have already done their part. Now it is the banks' turn. Principal reduction will restore the American Dream, create jobs, and give the American family the ability to breathe again.

Ms. Marchiol is on to something here. We have heard many of the stories that she writes about. 

Read the full article.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Revamping HARP, is relief finally on its way?

The New York Times writes, again, about HARP, the Home Affordable Refinance Program, that was introduced two years ago in an attempt to assist homeowners in refinancing their mortgages and reducing monthly payments.

In “A New Shot at Mortgage Relief” Mokoto Rich writes about William D. Compton.

“Like millions of other homeowners, William D. Compton would like to refinance his mortgage so that he pays less each month for his three-bedroom house in Gulf Breeze, Fla. With the savings, he figures he could afford a few extra movies and restaurant dinners or he could buy a new stove and brakes for his car, purchases he has postponed because finances are so tight.

“Although he would appear to be a good candidate, Mr. Compton, 57, has been turned down twice for a federal refinancing program aimed at homeowners like him.

“Still, he has renewed hope. That’s because the government is expanding the Home Affordable Refinance Program, which was meant to help homeowners whose mortgages are backed by the government and whose home values have declined sharply, even below what the borrowers owe. Mr. Compton is one of those underwater homeowners.”

When HARP was launched, it was estimated that it

“could help four million to five million homeowners whose home values had plunged. Yet just 900,000 borrowers — whose loans are owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored housing finance companies — have successfully refinanced through the program. Starting early next month, though, banks will begin using new criteria intended to make more borrowers eligible: raising the ceiling on how much owners can borrow over the value of their home as well as relaxing rules that might force banks to take back bad loans from the government. In announcing the change, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, carefully eased expectations, suggesting about 900,000 more homeowners would be helped, roughly doubling the size of the program to date.”

We have been critical of the Federal effort to date since the ceiling on property appraisal values was unrealistically low in New Jersey.

Time will tell if the changes to HARP will help New Jersey residents.

Read the full article.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Did the sudden snow storm cause you damage? The tax man may help.

If you live in the northeast and were pummeled by the October snow storm, Realty Times has a, well, timely, article dealing with the disaster loss tax deduction. Headlined, “How to Write Off a Disaster Loss For Property Damage” by Broderick Perkins, it’s on point.

“Next year, 2012, is supposed to be the year we lose it all, but 2011 came close. It's shaping up to one of the worst years ever for disaster losses.

“Thanks to tax relief, it's not the end of the world.

“The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows you a tax deduction for casualty losses, including losses due to property damage or destruction.”

Casualty losses are treated similarly to mortgage interest and property taxes, i.e., casualty loss is an itemized deduction included on Schedule A that are subtracted from your adjusted gross income, which reduces your taxes by reducing the amount of your income that is actually taxed.

Some rules,

“First, the deduction is only available to the extent that insurance or other forms of compensation don't cover the cost of damage or destruction.

“Second, if the disaster carries a presidential declaration, you can immediately, after the disaster has the presidential declaration, amend your last tax return to deduct the loss. Otherwise, you must wait to file for the deduction with your next tax return.

“Third, state tax laws vary on casualty loss deduction and because the deduction can involve large amounts and complex calculations, you should seek the help of an enrolled agent, certified public accountant or other tax professional to help you complete you state and federal tax returns.”

Read the full article here to learn more about casualty losses and your income taxes.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

F.H.A. may need a bailout

According to a story in the New York Times, the F.H.A., the backbone of the Federal government's housing program is running low on cash.

Chances are nearly 50 percent that the Federal Housing Administration will need a bailout next year if the housing market deteriorates further, the agency’s independent auditor said in a report released Tuesday.

With the amount of cash on hand about 50% less than last year, the F.H.A. may have to call on the central government to replenish its accounts. All due, of course, to the housing crisis and the number of defaults in F.H.A. related mortgages. Stay tuned.

Read the full story here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

New real estate language

From Trulia.com, “14 Post-Recession Real Estate Terms, Translated”

By now, you’ve probably heard the age-old rules of thumb about translating home listings from real estate lingo to plain English: ‘cozy’ = tiny, ‘needs TLC’ = needs massive repairs, and ‘all original details’ could mean beautiful moldings or moldy linoleum, depending on the home. Almost everything about the real estate market has changed over the last few years, though, so we thought it was time to provide you with an updated real estate lingo decoder that accounts for those changes in the market.

To that end, here are 14 line items of real estate jargon, divided into 2 buckets and decoded for the post-recession house hunter.

Bucket #1: Transaction signals. Distressed properties – foreclosures and short sales - make up about a third of the homes currently on the market, and these transactions have their own unique flow, timelines and challenges compared with “regular” equity sales. So, it only makes sense that listing agents have developed a set of abbreviations to brief prospective buyers on what they can expect and should be prepared for if they make an effort to buy such a home, with just a glance at the listing:

1. REO: Real estate owned by the bank/mortgage servicer, this acronym refers to homes that were foreclosed and repossessed by the former owner’s bank. It also signals that buying this property will involve doing a deal with the bank; possibly dealing with a different escrow timeline, offer process or contract forms than a non-REO sale; and almost always taking the place in as-is condition, among other things. Oh, yeah – and it might also involve one more thing: a great deal.

2. S/S, Subject to bank approval: What once stood for stainless steel is now being used to describe a short sale – a property whose seller anticipates will net them less than they owe on the home. Short sales are often described as “subject to bank approval,” which simply points out the obvious truth about these transactions, that the seller has very little control over whether the bank will allow the transaction or what price and terms the bank will approve of, and that the transaction might very well take the better part of your natural life could take 6 months or longer to close. Talk to your agent for more details about short sales, and to determine how you can tell the success-prone short sales from those that are less likely to close.

3. Pre-approved short sale: Many knowledgeable agents say no short sale is truly “pre-approved” unless and until the bank looks at a specific buyer’s offer and the seller’s financials at the same time, but some listing agents designate a short sale as “pre-approved” when a previous short sale application was approved at a given price, but fell out of contract for some other reason.

4. Motivated seller: This is a perennial term in listing parlance, but against the backdrop of the current market, translates to something like, “Have mercy on me.” I kid – this phrase often signals a seller’s flexibility in pricing and/or urgency in timing.

5. Coveted: In a word, “expensive.” No, seriously, even on today’s market, many locales have a neighborhood (or a few) which have been relatively recession-proof, have been fairly immune to the foreclosure epidemic and have seen home values continue to rise. If you see the word ‘coveted’ in a listing, chances are you’re house hunting in that sort of neighborhood, or there’s something about the individual property the home’s seller is trying to position as unique and desirable, as compared to competing listings (i.e., the view, location of the lot, or floor plan).

6. BOM, often accompanied by “No fault of the house:” Homes go in and fall out of escrows on today’s market constantly, often due to things the seller has no control over. BOM indicates a home that was in contract to be sold, but is now “Back on the Market.” “No fault of the house” may describe a situation in which the buyer lost interest in the home after a long short sale process or failed to get final loan approval, as contrasted to a situation in which the home’s inspection turned up deal-killing problems or the property failed to appraise at the purchase price. Not a short sale, not a foreclosure. Sellers on “regular” equity transactions are often more negotiable on items like price and repairs, and are certainly able to close the transaction (i.e., let the buyer move in) sooner than sellers of REOs and short sale properties. Some also pride themselves on having maintained their homes in better condition than the distressed homes on the market. For buyers that seek quick certainty and closure, non-distressed homes can be especially attractive.

Bucket #2: All about the Benjamins. The government’s role in financing homes has grown exponentially over the housing recession, so the alphabet soup of government housing and home financing agencies, their guidelines and programs is now more important to understand than ever.

8. OO/NOO: Owner-Occupied and Non-Owner Occupied – You’ll see this on listings in two different ways. First, the vast majority of home loans must comply with government loan insurance guidelines, including guidelines around how much of a condo complex must be owner-occupied (i.e., 75 percent, minimum, in most cases). Also, some bank-owned property sellers will consider offers from owners who plan to occupy the property if they buy it as much as a week or 10 days before they will look at NOO or investor offers.

9. FHA: Short for the Federal Housing Administration, which backs the popular 3.5 percent down home loan program. FHA guidelines also include somewhat strict condition and homeowners’ association dictates, so if a home’s seller notes that they are not taking FHA loans, they might be saying that the property has condition or other issues which disqualify it for FHA financing.

10. Fannie, Freddie: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, federally controlled company/agency hybrids that now back most non-FHA (conventional) home loans, and thus provide the guidelines most Conventional loans must meet, including guidelines around seller incentives like how much closing cost credit a buyer can receive.

11. DPA/DAP: Down-Payment Assistance or Down-Payment Assistance Program

12. FTH/FTB: First-time homebuyer/First-time buyer – cities, states and large employers like universities tend to be the last bastion of these programs which offer mortgage financing or down payment assistance, usually to people who have not owned a home in the relevant city or state anytime in the preceding 3 years.

13. HUD: The federal department of Housing and Urban Development, which governs the guidelines for FHA loans, acts as a seller of homes which were foreclosed on and repossessed for non-payment of FHA-backed loans, and publishes the Good Faith Estimate and settlement statement forms every buyer and borrower will be provided at the time they shop for a loan and close their home purchase, respectively.

14. HFA: Short for Housing Finance Administration, this acronym refers to a loose body of state and regional agencies which offer an array of financing and counseling programs that varies by state, from down payment assistance for first time buyers to the Hardest Hit Funds that offer foreclosure relief assistance and principal reducing loan modifications to unemployed and underwater homeowners in the states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Refinance program retooled by Obama adminstration

 

Dow Jones reports:

The Obama administration and a housing regulator on Monday unveiled a revamped home-loan refinancing program, aiming to aid hundreds of thousands of Americans whose homes have fallen in value in the wake of the housing bust.

Didn’t we just go through this last year? Well, yes, but it wasn’t working.

The plan represents the latest federal effort to tackle a key impediment to the U.S. economy--a stagnant housing market caused in part by elevated numbers of homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth. It came after numerous Obama administration efforts to stabilize the housing market have struggled in an economy with stubbornly high unemployment.

The overhaul will let borrowers refinance their mortgages regardless of how far their home prices have plunged in any given market, eliminating a previous restriction that shut out homeowners who owed more than 125% of their homes’ current value.

Officials estimated that the changes will help families save $2,500 or more, on average, annually.

The plan is also designed to streamline the refinancing process by eliminating appraisals and extensive underwriting requirements for most borrowers, as long as homeowners are current on their mortgage payments.

The refinancing program is open to homeowners whose mortgages are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae (FNMA) or Freddie Mac (FMCC), the two government-controlled mortgage giants whose rescue three years ago has cost taxpayers $141 billion to date.

Regulators are revamping a program rolled out in 2009, the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, which lets borrowers with homes whose values have dropped to refinance. So far, only 894,000 borrowers have used it, of which just 70,000 are significantly underwater.

Fannie and Freddie will issue final pricing information and other technical details by Nov. 15, and some banks have said they could begin taking applications under the new program by as soon as Dec. 1. Mortgage insurers have also agreed to make it much easier to transfer existing mortgage-insurance coverage, which has blocked many borrowers from refinancing.

　

Read the full article.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Selling your home? What about the capital gains tax?

Ask the Biz Brain found in the Star-Ledger answers a question about the payment of capital gains tax upon sale of your home. It’s a worthwhile article, so it’s set out in full.

Q. I plan to sell my house in the spring of 2012 and relocate to another state. After I get a job and become familiar with the area, in about 18 months, I would like to buy another house. How long can I wait to buy a house before I have to pay capital gains on the money? Where would be a good place to invest or put the money until that time? -- Homie A.

The Brain hopes the housing market sees an upturn before your target selling date. But then again, a housing recovery will mean a higher purchase price for your new home.

If you are single, you can sell your home and any gain up to $250,000 is not taxable, and you do not have to ever buy another house, said Alan Meckler, a certified financial planner with Cornerstone Financial Group in Succasunna. If you are married you can exclude up to $500,000 in gain.

Meckler offers this example: If you are single and you originally paid $250,000 for your house and over the years you spent another $100,000 on improvements, the cost basis in the house would be $350,000. If you now sold it for $550,000, that would be a net gain of $200,000.

“You would not owe any capital gains or any form of taxes,” Meckler said.

You are also under no constraints to ever buy another home again. This law came into effect in 1997, under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, he said. As always with tax rules, there are other qualifications you must pass.

“The individual or the couple need to have owned and lived in the property as their main residence for at least two years of a five-year period ending on the date of sale to qualify for the exclusion, and they may not have excluded the gain of another personal residence within the two-year period ending on the date of sale,” said Robert Bacino of Insight Financial Services in Flemington.

He recommends you consult with your tax preparer with regard to your particular circumstances in computing the actual gain or loss on the sale of the personal residence -- including state tax laws -- to determine to what extent the federal exclusion may apply and to properly report the sale on your personal federal and state income tax returns, Bacino said.

Now to the cash you’ll have to park after selling your current home but before you buy the new one. Meckler recommends you stay very conservative because you’re working with a relatively short time horizon. “You could look for a short term CD at the bank or money market account,” he said. “I would not recommend you investing in the stock market unless you had a five-year time frame.”

Good luck with your move, and Jersey will miss you!

If you would like to read the article on line, go here. 

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Using your home to get rid of $80,000 in credit card debt

Bankrate.com’s Steve Bucci is its Debt Adviser. He answers a question from someone with an $80,000 credit card bill.

Dear Debt Adviser, I am considering refinancing my mortgage. My plan is to take cash out in order to pay off my credit card debt. I owe $80,000 on credit cards, which is actually more than the $63,000 I owe on the house. Would this be a well-advised move, in your opinion? I can very easily handle the new monthly payment. With the savings from not making credit card payments I can make additional payments on the mortgage principal. My current mortgage has 11 years remaining, and the new mortgage would be for 15 years. So in other words, I'd be paying my house off in about the same time frame, anyway. I appreciate your advice. -- Robert

Before he answers, Mr. Bucci has to pick himself up from the floor. Here are the highlights from his response.

Dear Robert, Before I answer your question, I must make a comment: $80,000 on your credit cards?! Because I am the Debt Adviser, I can't help but address your $80,000 in credit card debt first. That is a huge amount of debt. Before you do anything, I want you to seriously analyze how you acquired so much debt. Before doing anything, you must be very sure that you can live day to day without racking up another $80,000 in new debt after any refinancing.

First, remember that the refinancing will not really pay off anything. It will just move your debt around. Furthermore, it could end up hurting you ultimately. That's because your $80,000 in credit card bills will be converted from an unsecured debt to a mortgage secured by your home.

The real message here is that Robert could lose his home over a debt that could be cleared in bankruptcy if everything hit the fan. But there are refinancing options.

Let's say you decide to do a traditional 15-year fixed-rate refinance of your existing mortgage with a cash-out option to pay off the $80,000 credit card debt. If so, I would encourage you to organize your budget so you can repay the loan in five to seven years. As an alternative, depending on the current rate of interest on your existing mortgage loan, you might consider using a home equity line of credit, or HELOC, instead of obtaining a new, larger first mortgage. The HELOC interest rate would likely be lower. You should be able to pay off the debt in a shorter period of time. That would save you on interest payments. It will also reduce the time period where you'll be most at risk to financial surprises like illness or a layoff. My experience is that as soon as you make yourself vulnerable to a problem, it shows up.

A traditional refinance may be the best option if your goals are to: first, get a lower rate on your primary mortgage, and second, pay off the credit cards. However, if you already have a fairly low interest rate on your mortgage, a HELOC might be the better option. I want you to lose your debt, not your home. So here's an added note of caution: You are taking on added risk with either a HELOC or a mortgage. You are moving a rather large debt from unsecured terms -- credit card accounts -- to a secured loan using your home as collateral. If for any reason you default on your new loan, your home is at jeopardy. I've seen enough unexpected things happen to otherwise smart people because they took on a risk they didn't understand.

There is also a tax risk. If the unthinkable should happen and you go into foreclosure, the $80,000 used to pay off your credit cards would not qualify for debt forgiveness under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. The result: You would owe income taxes on the $80,000 when you can least afford it.

 Read the full article.  To ask a question of the debt adviser, go to Bankrate.com.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Denied a mortgage? Maybe here’s why

The New York Times’ Vickie Elmer addresses reasons for mortgage loan application rejection.

“WE regret to inform you...” Nobody applying for a new mortgage or a refinancing wants to see or hear these words. But last year more than two million people were turned down for home loans, according to federal data, often because they didn’t meet certain lender requirements or because their applications were incomplete or otherwise problematic. Lenders’ underwriting criteria have become more rigorous in recent years; some banks have tightened up beyond federal requirements.

Here are the six biggest triggers for rejection, according to industry experts.

• INSUFFICIENT INCOME Lenders want to make sure you can afford to make the mortgage payments. Someone who earns, say, $40,000 a year need not bid on a $750,000 apartment, unless there’s a trust fund with quarterly payouts or other money available. Also, lenders typically look for at least a two-year track record of income, which could hurt those who may have switched jobs recently.
• CLOUDY FINANCIAL PICTURE. Generally, total debt payments, including the mortgage, cannot exceed 45 to 50 percent of your adjusted gross monthly income. Borrowers may be surprised at what counts and what doesn’t.
• BAD CREDIT Lenders typically reject applicants with a FICO score below 620. Failing to pay your mortgage on time affects your score.
• LOW APPRAISAL. This is the predominant reason people are denied home loans today, according to industry experts.
• PROPERTY PROBLEMS. Issues within an apartment unit or a house such as major repairs have to be addressed. In our area of NJ, there are several condominiums with lawsuits pending against them that have turned into deal killers.
• INFORMATION MIX-UPS. About 12 percent of new mortgage applications were denied because of unverifiable information or incomplete credit applications, according to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council.

Read the full article.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Who’s giving you the best mortgage deal?

The New York Times suggests vetting the lender when you buy a home.

“BEFORE buying a house, borrowers will undoubtedly do a thorough check of the property, examining its structural soundness and the surrounding neighborhood, among other things; they will research the best type of loan, comparing interest rates, terms and fees. But not all borrowers do due diligence on their lenders.”

“Ferreting out good information is not that easy. For one thing, different kinds of lenders are held to different rules, licenses and disclosure requirements. Some states, like New York and New Jersey, require mortgage brokers to complete criminal background checks through the state police.”

So what to do?  According to industry experts they  

“suggest that borrowers focus more on the individual who would be their mortgage broker, loan officer or loan originator. Among the questions borrowers should be asking them: How long have they been in the field? How well or promptly do they answer questions? Do they want to know the borrower’s financial goals? A look at their work experience and background on their LinkedIn profile may also be helpful.”

What should you look for?

• are good listeners, and helpful with personal-finance questions.
• size might be one factor.
• whether a blemish on a firm’s record, say a large number of foreclosures or a class-action lawsuit settled three years ago, will dissuade you from cultivating a helpful relationship.
• governmental and quasi-governmental sites may be helpful.

A minefield? Maybe.  Read the full article to learn more.



For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

New York mortgage tax - how can it be reduced

A client posed a question yesterday-

"I have a borrower who is trying to save money on a refinance in Manhattan, any ideas?"

"Sure," I said, "use a CEMA."

CEMA is shorthand for Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement. It helps to save mortgage tax because the original mortgage being paid-off is assigned to the new lender instead of being satisfied. The mortgage tax is paid only on the amount of the loan being given by the new lender. The two mortgages are "consolidated" into one by the CEMA.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the money saving aspects of a CEMA transaction. Read it here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

No light at the end of the foreclosure tunnel. Bad loans continue to rise for NJ banks

The Record reports that

“Toxic loans held by New Jersey-based banks continued to climb in the second
quarter even as bad loans at U.S. banks declined, according to new government
data.”

“The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday in its quarterly industry profile that loans more than 90 days past due or no longer accruing interest at New Jersey's 117 banks and thrifts rose to 3.61 percent of total loans as of June 30, up from 2.91 percent a year earlier. Those banks' combined seriously delinquent debt climbed in each of the past four quarters.”

Even the once vaunted Hudson City Savings Bank is feeling the pain. As the Record notes,

“Paramus-based Hudson City Savings Bank, the largest thrift based in New Jersey
and a high-end residential mortgage lender, had 123 foreclosed properties on its
books at the end of June, up from 52 a year earlier.”

Why?

“A weak economy, persistent high unemployment and a slow foreclosure process
have all contributed to the recent rise in bad loans throughout the state, said Bill Brewer, partner at the Livingston office of Crowe Horwath LLP, a community bank auditor. "Banks have had a hard time moving this stuff off the books," he said. "The banks have the capital to withstand this, but it is a continuing problem.’"

Read more of the whys and wherefores here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Helping underwater homeowners? Not flood, mortgages.

The New York Times editorial pages takes on the cause of underwater homeowners, folks whose property is worth less than the mortgage or mortgages on it. Principal relief? Who's going to judge who's entitled to it?

Neither Congress, nor federal regulators, nor state or federal prosecutors have yet to conduct a thorough investigation into the mortgage bubble and financial bust. We welcomed the news that the Justice Department is investigating allegations that Standard & Poor’s purposely overrated toxic mortgage securities in the years before the bust. We hope the investigative circle will widen.

Tens of millions of Americans are being crushed by the overhang of mortgage debt. And Congress and the White House have yet to figure out that the economy will not recover until housing recovers — and that won’t happen without a robust effort to curb foreclosures by modifying troubled mortgage loans.

Read the complete editorial.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

stephen flatow stephen's title agency mortgages underwater

Families claim Wells Fargo gyped their parents over reverse mortgages

Bloomberg news reports, "Wells Fargo Sued Over Reverse Mortgage Policies by Borrowers "

“Wells Fargo & Co. was accused in a group lawsuit of ignoring federal rules on reverse mortgages and forcing homes into foreclosure instead of giving heirs a chance to buy them.

“Estates and surviving spouses have the right to purchase properties at 95 percent of appraised value after the death of a borrower who took out a federally insured reverse mortgage, lawyers for a California man said in the complaint filed Aug. 3 in federal court in San Francisco.

“Wells Fargo hasn't been notifying heirs of this right and has been starting foreclosures if demands aren't met for repayment of the full mortgage balance, according to the complaint filed by the son of a California homeowner. The plaintiff, Robert Chandler, also sued the Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae.”

Wells Fargo alleges that it complied with HUD guidelines; guidelines that only came into effect in April 2011.

Read the full story.

For your next title order or if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.,

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC,

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101
Fairfield, NJ 07004, Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628
E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Not what it seems -you do need title insurance

The New York Times’ Mary Ann Haggerty writing writes “Paying for Title Insurance” in the Sunday real estate section.

She begins,

“THERE’S not much you can do about title insurance.”

“If you take out a mortgage to buy a home, you have to buy this specialized form of insurance. If you refinance a mortgage, you have to rebuy it. And comparison shopping may not save you much money, as premium rates throughout the New York area are regulated.”

And that’s true. What you are doing when you select a title agent is one thing, seeking the best service.

What is service? In our book, service is thoroughness in the examination of title, communication with the client, professionalism in the resolution of title issues (and they do exist,) and promptness in getting you to the closing table.

We look forward to serving you in the future.

Read the full article.

For your next title order
or if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.
Stephen's Title Agency, LLC
165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101
Fairfield, NJ 07004
Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628
E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - http://www.stephenstitle.com/

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Wells Fargo to pay $85M to settle case

The AP reports,

“Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay $85 million to settle civil charges that it falsified loan documents and pushed borrowers toward subprime mortgages with higher interest rates during the housing boom.

“The fine is the largest ever imposed by the Federal Reserve in a consumer-enforcement case, the central bank said Wednesday.

“Wells Fargo, the nation's largest mortgage lender, neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement. The bank agreed to compensate borrowers who were steered into higher-priced loans or whose income was exaggerated.”

Wells Fargo was accused of inflating borrowers' incomes on loan applications from 2004 until 2008. Sales reps also pushed borrowers towards subprime loans, even if they were eligible for lower rate mortgages.

“Between 3,700 and roughly 10,000 people could be compensated under the settlement, the Fed said. The payments will likely range from $1,000 to $20,000.”

Read the full report.

For your next title order or
if you have questions about what you see here, contact
Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.
Stephen's Title Agency, LLC
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Fairfield, NJ 07004
Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628
E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - http://www.stephenstitle.com/

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Adjustable rate mortgages do have advantages

 

The New York Times’ Maryann Haggerty writes about The Appeal of Adjustable Rates

 “THE 30-year fixed-rate loan has earned its reputation as the sensible, conservative move in the aftermath of the financial crisis, especially with near-low interest rates. But despite risks, some borrowers still are getting or keeping adjustable-rate loans, which have even lower rates.”

“Adjustable rate mortgages generally attract borrowers when rates are high. The rate is set for a specific time — generally one, five or seven years — and then it adjusts to prevailing rates within boundaries. That means payments can go up. Payment shock has caused plenty of problems over the years. [From the Ed – shows us the cases.] Rates can also go down, as borrowers who took out ARMs five to seven years ago are finding now. But it’s tough to imagine how rates could get much lower than now, short of Japan-style negative rates.”

According to Sari Rosenberg of Manhattan Mortgage Company whom we’ve worked with, “If a person is debt-averse and has a history of paying off his or her mortgage within 5 to 10 years, then he or she would definitely consider an ARM.”

Who else would benefit?  According to Ms. Rosenberg, “I have another client who knows he is selling his home within the next few years and even with the closing costs he will be saving money,” so he took out a three-year ARM.

“Keith Gumbinger, a vice president of HSH Associates, a financial publisher in Pompton Plains, N.J., said, “ARMs are good for borrowers with short-term time frames, usually seven years or less.”

“Conversely, ARMs aren’t wise for borrowers who plan to stay put, Mr. Gumbinger said, or those who would have trouble managing rising payments. That includes people who expect cash-flow strains, such as those starting a family.”

Is an ARM right for you?  A savvy mortgage counselor can help.  Read the full story.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

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New life after foreclosure?

The New York Times writes about “The Post-Foreclosure Wait.” The good news is that, “mortgage troubles won’t necessarily shut you out of the housing market forever.”

As the economy and real estate market continue to struggle, millions of Americans have lost their homes through foreclosure, short sale (when a property is sold for less than is owed) or a deed in lieu of foreclosure (when the bank takes ownership without foreclosure).

Even if you think you never want to own a home again, clean credit is important. Bad credit can make it more expensive to rent. In some fields, especially financial services, it can make it difficult to find or keep a job.

What affects recovery speed?

In a short sale where the balance is forgiven and no deficiency is recorded in public records, recovery can be quick. A foreclosure or bankruptcy can weigh you down for years.

As long as 7 years.

But if someone has gone through foreclosure and still has a mountain of debt and not enough income, bankruptcy is worth considering, said Tracy Becker, the founder of North Shore Advisory, a credit-restoration company based in Tarrytown, N.Y. Sure, it will be another hard blow to your credit rating — but your credit most likely is already “wrecked,” at least for now, she said.

OK, so you have pushed the plunger,

And what about a future mortgage? Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration set guidelines for how long a borrower must wait after a “significant derogatory event.”

There are plenty of asterisks and conditions. But to generalize, the wait is longest after a foreclosure. Extenuating circumstances like a job loss, illness or divorce reduce the wait.

With such circumstances, Fannie and Freddie specify a two-year wait after a short sale, deed in lieu, or discharge or dismissal of bankruptcy, and three years after foreclosure. Without extenuating circumstances, waits can extend to four years after bankruptcy and seven years after foreclosure.

Read the full report.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Rediscovering Israel in 2011

Realty Times has a fascinating article by Clifford A. Hockley, President of Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services, who writes about rediscovering Israel. It’s worth reporting in full, so here it is.

I have just returned from a three week trip to Israel. I had many wonderful experiences, too many to chronicle, but I will try to summarize some of my key impressions here:

Residential Real Estate

What struck me the most about this visit (my fourth), was the amount of construction activity occurring.

In one city close to Tel Aviv we counted eighteen (18) cranes building apartments (read condominiums). In Israel, the vast majority of construction is completed in rebar reinforced concrete (much like Mexico). In the large cities, due to land shortages, multistory buildings are being built to house the growing number of inhabitants.

In some cases throughout Israel, four story buildings are being jacked up and bomb shelters and parking is being added on the bottom and two or three more stories are being added on top. There is no lack of construction or architectural creativity.

In speaking with a residential real estate agent in Kfar Saba, a suburb of Tel Aviv, I discovered that the demand for housing keeps pushing up the apartment (condominium) prices.

This is confirmed in a January 19, 2011 article in the Global Property Guide: “Strong price increases were seen throughout the country. In Tel Aviv, the economic centre, the average house price rose 17.75% y-o-y to ILS 1.778 million (US $499,245). In Jerusalem, the 17.5% price increase pushed average prices to ILS1.42 million (US $398,216). Annual price increases in other administrative regions ranged from 15% in the South, to 20% in Haifa.

The current upswing in house prices has pushed the national average price, at ILS1.05 million (US $294,660) up by 37% during the period from Q4 2008 to Q3 2010. Over the same period, the average price in Tel Aviv has risen by an astonishing 46%, and in Jerusalem by 30%.

A housing bubble much like the American bubble seems possible. Banks have been tightening up their lending requirements. Israeli Banks look for a 20 – 40% down payment. Very few people actually own a free standing home in the major cities. Typically housing is townhouse style or condominiums in large multistory buildings. About 67 – 68% (according to 2008 survey) of the Israeli population lives in an apartment or home they own. One can estimate, the balance live either at with parents, in rentals or senior living facilities.

Due to the strength of the rental market and a law that allows Israeli’s to receive tax free income on their first rental, 33% of the current buying market is made up of real estate investors.

Parking

Why would I address parking? There is a huge shortage of parking especially in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Even though the purchase of a vehicle is taxed at 100% and fuel costs exceed $ 8 per gallon, there are a lot of autos in Israel. They are small fuel efficient vehicles, but they need to be parked. In one area of Tel Aviv (Bloch Street, close to Rabin Square), there are over 30,000 registered cars with only 25,000 parking spaces.

The cities have very aggressive parking enforcement, with frequent enforcers, walking or moped inspecting the cities. Permits are purchased throughout the country for long term or short term parking. Short term double parking is common as people load and unload. Many roads are narrow and vehicles squeeze through the traffic, honking horns and weaving in and out. The night we left Israel, we tried to move our car from a paid parking lot to street parking to be closer to the apartment we were renting. We spotted four spaces; I rushed to get my car, by the time I returned (six minutes later) all of the spaces, but one, were taken. As we left that evening, multiple drivers were circling the streets, looking for evening parking. Overnight parking in a parking lot can cost $20 a night.

Most people commute by train, bus, taxi, motorcycle, moped, bicycle or on foot.

Commercial Retail Real estate is expensive, especially in the big cities. In the densely packed areas, you might find many small neighborhood stores, ranging anywhere from 50 to 400 sq ft large.

These stores are typically in mixed use buildings with apartments on top and commercial spaces on the ground floor. It is not unusual to find a shoe maker in a 25 sq ft space, or a hardware store in a 300 sq ft space, filled to the ceiling with all sorts of random goods from toilet seats to light bulbs. In the suburbs, you can find shopping centers and malls filled with small and larger stores, but land as space is still a premium, and so is parking. Parking spaces in shopping malls are usually about 8’ by 8’. It is not unusual to have cars marred up while opening the doors in such tight spots.

Clearly, Israel still has significant security concerns. 120 missiles and mortars were shot into southern Israel from Gaza while we were there. Just the week before we arrived, a bomb went off at the Central Jerusalem bus station. On the other hand, weapons are less visible than they were during our last visit in 2007. All large stores, restaurants and office buildings have security guards, most of them are armed. Bags, backpacks and purses are searched. Shopping centers are fenced and you have to drive through a security check before you can park your vehicle. Smaller villages in the north are fenced and gated. The army is still visible throughout the countryside. However, compared to our last visit, we felt much safer this time.

The challenge of national security unifies the nation. After high school, all Israeli men and women get drafted to military service, men for three years and women for two years. After military service all men serve an annual reserve commitment (of one to four weeks) until they are forty. Most women are exempt from this reserve commitment. Orthodox Haredi Jews and Israeli Arabs typically do not serve in the military. Druse, Checker and Beduin do serve in the Israeli military. This military service is the great homogenizer of the Israeli state and helps solidify the commitment to the country. Taxes are high, but in exchange there are many social services including world class medical services. Israel has some of the same problems the US has including a looming physician shortage and lack of medical care in rural areas. Israel is a small country. I was able to drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 45 minutes and from Tel Aviv to Tiberias in the north on highway Six in an hour and 45 minutes. So, for critical medical care, many Israelis drive to Haifa, Tel Aviv, or Jerusalem or Beersheva.

I was fortunate to be able to cover a lot of ground on our three week trip. The economy is booming, or so it seems. But it is a very expensive country to live in. One sector after another, strikes for more wages. Innovation is king. Israeli’s are creative, constantly looking for answers outside of the box, to solve their issues. Will there ever be peace? Who knows? The issue polarizes all Israeli’s Arab, Jewish and Christian alike. After Gaza hand back and the continued security threat from Gaza, the political minds will have a hard time giving up the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority without some iron clad guarantee for safety, security and the recognition of Israel as a state.

As a visitor, I had a great time. This is truly the land of the Bible… and the coffee shop. Like America, it is the land of the melting pot. You will find Russian, French, English, Amharic, Arabic and Hebrew speakers there. If you can, I encourage you to visit; you will never forget your stay.

The article can be found here, Rediscovering Israel 2011

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Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

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Fairfield, NJ 07004

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Five blunders to avoid when you refi

From Bankrate.com’s Michele Lerner, “5 refi blunders to avoid”

“When interest rates are low, plenty of homeowners rush to refinance before evaluating the true consequences of their actions. A mortgage refinance can benefit some homeowners, particularly if they intend to stay in their home for the long term or if they can significantly reduce their interest rate. Sometimes, though, a mortgage refinance can be the wrong move.”

1. Not comparing the real rate.

Compare the true cost of the new loan with the APR of your current loan. If you are saving less than one-half point, don’t waste your time or money. Remember that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have added fees to loans where there’s little equity in the property.

“Borrowers who have little or no equity may qualify for a refinance under the government's Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, available to those with a current mortgage owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.”

2. Choosing the wrong loan

What’s the purpose of the refinance? Afraid about losing your job, then lower your overall payment. If you want to be debt-free by a certain year, pick a loan that meets that objective.

Remember, closing costs can increase your payback.

3. Not shopping around

“While many borrowers compare loan offers from more than one lender, they can also shop for title services and save hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars on their loan.”

Check at lease three lenders. Start with the servicer that has your loan now.

4. Refinancing when you shouldn't

If you don’t plan on staying in your home for several years, refinancing may be a waste of money. Know your break even point where the savings outweigh the costs of refinancing.

5. Not keeping up with borrower responsibilities

Keep up your credit score throughout the refi process. A lender can pull your credit report right before closing. So avoid adding new debt.

Read the full article.

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Stephen M. Flatow

Stephen's Title Agency LLC

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Fairfield, New Jersey 07004

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Stephen AT Stephenstitle.com

Short-Sale Nightmare

Readers of this blog know about the pitfalls and benefits of short sales where a home is sold for less than the amount of its mortgage.

Since a short sale cannot occur without the consent of the lender, sellers are completely subject to the lender’s whims and ineptness.

The New York Times reports on one New Jersey homeowner who lived the short sale nightmare in “A 30-Month Short-Sale Saga” by Antoinette Martin.

“MELANIE BROWN sits at the breakfast bar of the Teaneck house she will soon surrender to new owners and says the pain of that is piercing, but at least the “mental torture” at the hands of bankers and their computerized bureaucracy is finally done, after two and a half years.

“They would demand information, and then delay any response, demand and delay, over and over,” said Ms. Brown, 42, a school administrator, about her lender, Bank of America, and its Equator software system. “I got to feel like a mouse that a cat just kept smacking around.”

“This was a short sale. It took 30 months. And it might not have happened at all — despite Ms. Brown’s sustained effort to meet every shifting deadline for documents, and her real estate agent’s campaign to get help — except that the agent finally contacted an aide to a congressman, who contacted an aide to the president of Bank of America.”

What was it like dealing with Bank of America? Ms. Brown says,

“No one ever actually talks to you,” “they just send threatening e-mails, saying things like: ‘If you don’t refile those documents for the third time giving the entire history of your life by the end of the business day, then this process is terminated. You will have to start over at the beginning.’ ”

“Ms. Brown’s original loan was from Countrywide Savings Bank, acquired by Bank of America in 2008. When she began asking Bank of America about loan modification, she said, she was told it was impossible, because she was current with her payments.

“They told me I had to stop paying for three months before they could even consider helping me,” she said. “I was shocked. I thought that was drastic, but they said it was the only way.”

Sounds drastic, but a common step.

Do you have a short sale nightmare to share? We’d love to hear from you.

Read the full story here.

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Higher costs for F.H.A. loans are here

We have previously written about the higher costs associated with FHA loans. What I didn't know was that an FHA loan might cost you more than a loan with private mortgage insurance (PMI.)

Here's a good article from The New York Times explaining the new costs of FHA loans and comparing it to others.

Dealing With Higher Costs of F.H.A. Loans

Contact us if we can be of help.

Stephen's Title Agency

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Getting a mortgage on a vacation home is hard

The New York Times states

IT might be easier if you just paid cash for that vacation house.

There is loan money available for second-home purchases, but expect bigger down payments, higher interest rates and other standards tighter than on a principal residence — and those standards are tight already. In addition, there are quirks specific to vacation markets.

Back in the day, “there was virtually no difference in underwriting for vacation homes versus owner-occupied homes,” said Guy Cecala, the publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. “That’s something that’s changed dramatically. The days of being able to buy a vacation home with little or no money down are over.”

For instance, favorable interest rate loans from the FHA are not available. And you’ll need at least 20% down to meet Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac requirements.

“Thirty percent also seems to be the “comfort zone” this year for down payments in the Jersey Shore towns where Michael Loundy, a broker at Seaside Realty, works. “You can get 20 percent down,” he said, “but the buyer has to look very strong with income-debt ratios.””

Read the full article -Financing a Vacation Home

FDIC shutters 5 banks. Total for year 39

More bank closings.

Regulators have shut down a total of five banks in Florida, Georgia and Michigan, lifting the number of U.S. bank failures this year to 39. That follows157 bank closures in 2010 in a limping economy and mounting soured loans.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday seized the banks: First National Bank of Central Florida, based in Winter Park, Fla., with $352 million in assets; Cortez Community Bank of Brooksville, Fla., with $70.9 million in assets; First Choice Community Bank of Dallas, Ga., with $308.5 million in assets; Park Avenue Bank, based in Valdosta, Ga., with $953.3 million in assets; and Community Central Bank in Mount Clemens, Mich., with $476.3 million in assets.

Read on-line: 5 banks fail in Fla., Ga., Mich.; makes 39 in '11 - BusinessWeek

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A creative design.

Says it all.

Wishing everyone a happy Passover and Easter season.

For your next title order or

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Home-sellers can use the foreclosure crisis to their benefit

From Bankrate.com.  Risky foreclosures could help savvy sellers.

The cloud over foreclosures comes with a silver lining for homeowners looking for an edge when they sell real estate in a strong buyer's market.

The good news for sellers is that foreclosures look risky again. Savvy sellers -- at least, those who have equity and are current on their house payments -- might be able to turn the tables and use the robosigning follies to their advantage, experts say.

"I am not seeing buyers afraid (yet) to buy a foreclosure," says Elizabeth Weintraub, a real estate broker in Sacramento, Calif. "They should be."

The robosigning controversy has led to a slowdown in foreclosures. The lull is likely to be temporary and sellers' advantage from a drop in foreclosures potentially fleeting, with many markets still flooded with distressed properties, according to Katie Curnutte, a spokeswoman for Zillow.com. There might even be a boomerang effect later in the year after banks get back up to full speed again with auctions, she says.

For home sellers, here are some tips on how to seize the initiative during a rare (relative) lull in the foreclosure crisis.

Sell sooner rather than later.

If you absolutely, positively don't have to sell in this market, then don't. But if you must, whether now or five months from now, take the plunge now. Sure, the slowdown in foreclosure activity could mean somewhat less competition now.

But even more critically, there is the boomerang effect to take into account. The number of foreclosures is expected to skyrocket as we head deeper into 2011.

Get your story out.

Foreclosure sales were once rare. But in some markets now, they make up 20 percent to more than half of all sales. If you are a long-term homeowner who has kept up on your mortgage payments, you need to get that message out. This is your key advantage over a much lower-priced foreclosure, especially in light of the robosigning mess.

The buyer knows who he or she is buying the home from -- no title issues here. There are ways to tactfully get across this key point in your ads, with phrases like "long-term ownership" and "been in the family for decades," Weintraub says.

Do your homework.

You can bet savvy buyers these days are going to come in with a stack of comps, many of them rock-bottom foreclosures. Provide your own market analysis, one that can help highlight the challenges facing foreclosed properties.

The first report should be comparable homes sold in the last few months, with foreclosures broken out separately if mentioned at all, says Jim Kimmons, broker owner of Gallery Realty of Taos, N.M. The second should detail homes currently on the market. That will help you frame the decision on favorable terms: Buyers should consider homes like yours instead of foreclosures.

Price aggressively without undercutting foreclosures.

The aim is to sell your home and maybe come away with a small gain. Forget about making a killing. Few homeowners who are current on their mortgage can match a foreclosure price.

But buyers are still looking for low prices. Take a look at what other nondistressed properties are selling for in your neighborhood and then price below them. And drive home the point that the price is the price -- with foreclosures the bank can take a better offer right up to the day of the closing, Weintraub says.

Burst those foreclosure fantasies.

Many buyers haven't a clue about what it takes to buy a foreclosed home. In many cases, individual buyers don't stand a chance as they end up competing with investors ready to pay cash, Kimmons says.

If a buyer or agent doesn't know this, enlighten him or her. "There is a significant percentage of buyers (that) could not buy a foreclosure if they wanted to," Kimmons says


Read more from Bankrate.com- Home-selling tactics to beat the deadbeats

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Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

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Soldiers lose homes. How could it happen?

The New York Times reports,

“The Justice Department is investigating allegations that a mortgage subsidiary of Morgan Stanley foreclosed on almost two dozen military families from 2006 to 2008 in violation of a longstanding law aimed at preventing such action.”

 It seems that

“Saxon Mortgage Services, is one of several mortgage and lending companies being investigated by its civil rights division. The inquiry is focused on possible violations of a federal law that bars lenders from foreclosing on active-duty service members without a court hearing.“

“[A]s many as 23 military foreclosures were under scrutiny in the Justice Department investigation.”

Federal, and many state, laws have what’s called a “civil relief act” designed to protect active duty service men and women from being foreclosed. Federal law requires a judge to “hold a hearing at which the service member is represented before granting a lender the right to foreclose on the service member’s home, even in states where a court order is not required for civilian foreclosures. As early as 2005, advocates for military families were complaining that banks and other lenders were frequently violating the law.”

Read the full article U.S. Inquiry on Military Family Foreclosures

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Problems With New Good Faith Estimate Forms. Ya think!

The New York Times reports on “Problems With New Good Faith Estimate Forms.”

“THE revamped Good Faith Estimate form, which arrived just over a year ago, has helped give home buyers and homeowners looking to refinance their mortgages a better understanding of their borrowing costs

“But industry experts say the three-page, line-by-line disclosure — which lenders must provide within three days of receiving a loan application — still falls short of telling borrowers exactly what they will be paying. Some in the mortgage industry complain that it can even distort or obscure the true cost.”

We have had difficulties with lenders and their preparation of the Good Faith Estimate (GFE.) That which was intended to be a simplified method of explaining loan costs is anything but that. And, lenders do not uniformly provide us, as settlement agents, with information that needs to be reported. In other words, even lenders are confused about what information goes on which line.

Read the full article by Lynnley Browing.

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NJ mortgage foreclosures- Court wearing rose colored glasses?

Sarah Portlock writing in The Star-Ledger reports on the settlement of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s involvement in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. The settlement “will require six of the country’s biggest mortgage lenders to disclose the specifics of how they foreclose on homeowners has been” court approved.

“Under the agreement, retired Judge Richard Williams will review the lenders’ foreclosure processes to ensure all filed documents are based on personal knowledge and accurate business records. He also has the power to periodically review a sample of future foreclosures.”

Nonsense. Can anyone define “personal knowledge” in the day of e-commerce where everything, absolutely everything is compiled, kept and disseminated electronically? We no longer live in the days of bookkeepers wearing eyeshades sitting hunchbacked over ledger books.

“The settlement was made public two weeks ago, and comes four months after Chief Justice Stuart Rabner issued a three-part initiative to investigate what could be rogue foreclosure filings, noting a staggering increase in caseload and concerns judges had inadvertently "rubber stamped" files that had inadequate or inaccurate paperwork. In response, the banks argued they had already revised their foreclosure procedures.”

Read - Judge approves settlement to review mortgage foreclosure process

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Federal Housing Finance Agency extends the Home Affordable Refinance Program

On March 11, 2011, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a one year extension of the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to June 30, 2012. The program expands access to refinancing for qualified individuals and families who are current on their mortgage payment and who have loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac with loan-to-value ratios of between 80 percent and 125 percent. Since the beginning of the program in 2009, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have purchased or guaranteed 621,803 loans under HARP (190,180 in 2009 and 431,623 in 2010).

Read FHFA press release.

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Buying a property at a foreclosure auction – are you tough enough?

Bankrate.com has a wonderful article, “Hassles of buying foreclosures at auction,” written by Clark Palmer.

We get calls from time to time from prospective foreclosure property bidders who just can’t pass up a bargain. The article will set you straight.

Highlights:

• The process has plenty of snags to snare the unwary foreclosure buyer.
• The condition of a foreclosed home is a mystery; it could be plumbing-free.
• Consider the time and expense of repairing a handyman's special.

“

An expert's single word of advice for folks who dream of buying a foreclosed house at auction: Don't.”

"’I caution anyone who isn't in the (real estate) business: Buying (at auction) can be one of the worst decisions you'll ever make," says Jim Hamilton, a Realtor in Los Gatos, Calif. Another bit of counsel from Hamilton: If you want to buy foreclosures at auction, plan on making that your full-time job.”

If you consider that “buying a house is like navigating an obstacle course, then buying a foreclosure is like crossing a minefield.”

Traps for the unwary.

First of all, you have to pay cash.

“And you're paying for all of the loans, back interest, taxes and attorney's fees on the property. So if the house is worth $300,000, the opening bid could actually be $400,000. By the time you outbid everyone, you could be paying a lot more than that.”

If the homeowner files bankruptcy on the day of the auction, or, in New Jersey, within 10 days of the sale, you won’t get your deed and will have to wait for return of your deposit.

A perfect house for stargazers. Even if you work out those issues, you don't know the condition of the property.

People could still be living there. The house could be gutted -- missing copper and plumbing fixtures, or even roofless, Weintraub says.

Finally, “the bank isn't going to tell you all that much about the house.” Inspect on your own if you can.

And, if you find them, who will fix the problems?

Ask yourself if you have the money, time, patience and support from the people around you to repair any problems with the house. "You need to be realistic about those questions. If the answers to any of those questions is 'no,' this probably isn't the house you're looking for," Hamilton says.

Read the full article.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Adjustable Rate Mortgages back in vogue?

The New York Times Lynnley Browning reports on the move back to the once despised adjustable rate mortgage.

“IN the years since the financial crisis, adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, with their low initial interest rates that changed over time, have been considered riskier than fixed-rate loans and shunned by most buyers. But these days more people are being persuaded to give the loans a try.”

However, the mortgage seems to have learned one lesson of the mortgage melt down.

“This time around, lenders are rolling out more conservative ARM products — without the gimmicky extra-low “teaser” rates that adjust every six months, or the “pick-a-pay” and “option” features that allow borrowers to pay less than the monthly interest, only to be hit with a huge bill down the road.”

“Those ARMs were hallmarks of the subprime mortgage boom that fueled the soaring rate of mortgage defaults and home foreclosures nationwide.”

Lenders ranging from Equity Now in New York to Bank of America are increasing the number of ARM transactions.

“Mortgage brokers and lenders say the loans most in demand are the “5/1” and “7/1,” in which the initial interest rate is fixed for the first five or seven years — after which many homeowners typically think about selling or refinancing anyway — then adjusted annually at a capped rate toward a maximum level.”

While many have railed against the risk inherent in changes of interest rates over time, I believe history reveals that ARMs were safe due to caps on increase amounts at each step and over the lifetime of the loan. For a homeowner who plans on selling within a few years, the ARM may give her a nice discount in rate.

Starting rates are usually one to one and a half percentage points below those of 30-year fixed-rate loans.

“But one catch is that getting an ARM may now be harder.

“Last summer Fannie Mae, the government buyer of home loans, said lenders must qualify borrowers on either the initial rate plus two percentage points, or on the full index rate to which the initial rate is tied, whichever is greater.”

While ARMs may be attractive to some, it’s doubtful that the number of ARM transactions will approach the 1994 high of about 70 percent of all home purchases.

Read the full report More Borrowers Are Opting for Adjustable-Rate Mortgages

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

F.H.A. gives underwater homeowners a snorkel

The New York Times reports on underwater properties. As we’ve previously written, these underwater properties are not burdened by spring storms but by depressed property values. In other words, the property is now worth less than the homeower’s mortgage.

“STRUGGLING homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth have had few options to restructure their loans, but that may soon be changing for a few of them.

“Six months after the Federal Housing Administration announced an $11 billion refinancing initiative for these “underwater” borrowers, nearly two dozen lenders have agreed to take part in a new loan modification program. “

Unfortunately, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not participate.

“The F.H.A. program — called Short Refi — requires major concessions from lenders, which must agree to write off at least 10 percent of the principal balance, and from investors, who, if they own the mortgage, must also agree to the deal.“

How does a homeowner qualify?

• To qualify, homeowners must be current on their monthly mortgage payments and not already have an F.H.A. loan.
• Loan to value cannot exceed “97.75 percent of the current value of the property; refinanced loans for homeowners whose properties carry second liens cannot exceed 15 percent of the property value.”

Wells Fargo and Ally Financial, formerly known as G.M.A.C., have created test programs for the new F.H.A. program. Bank of America, Citibank and JPMorgan Chase are not participating in the program because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not.

"HUD estimated that 500,000 to 1.5 million borrowers could be eligible for the program."

But the program may be short-lived as the House has voted to repeal the program. But good news may be out there.

“One mortgage expert, John DiIorio, the owner of 1st Alliance Lending, said that big banks were taking part behind the scenes, by referring homeowners to third-party lenders that could restructure their mortgages. He added that 1st Alliance had “several hundred F.H.A. Short Refi” loans in the pipeline.“

“But he said lenders and investors had agreed to reduce principal for only half of the loans he had worked on.”

Underwater loans have been the bane of homeowners throughout New Jersey. Maybe this program will give them some relief.

Read the full article More Loan-Modification Options for the ‘Underwater’.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

Is it becoming harder to get a mortgage? Looks as though it is.

Marc Santora of The New York Times writes about “New Worries for Buyers Seeking Mortgages.”


Frankly, there are horror stories out there about getting mortgages.

For one prospective apartment buyer,

“the moment she stepped into the two-bedroom apartment at 59th Street and First Avenue, with its oversized windows and sweeping views of the Queensboro Bridge, she just knew.”

And her offer was accepted.

“That was in August. But it was only in February, nearly six months later, that she finally closed on the $1.15 million apartment.

“In the intervening months, as she battled through a computer glitch and reams of documentation, Ms. Herman underwent a crash course in the complexities of navigating the mortgage market — which itself continues to undergo profound change.”

 “The dread of not finding a lender after the market collapsed in 2009 has been replaced by uncertainty, confusion and frustration. According to brokers and lenders, the list of demands that stand between finding a place to buy and signing on the dotted line simply never stops morphing.“

And it looks as though more change are coming to the mortgage market as the Obama administration plans to reduce the role of the federal government in the mortgage market by, for instance, lowering the limit on loan amounts for loans to be bought by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as reducing loan amounts for FHA and VA loans.

“And let’s not forget the federal government’s proposal to eliminate the mortgage interest tax deduction for high-income earners; the changes in the way brokers will be compensated because of new regulations; and the fact that banks — despite recent profits — are still leery of lending. Taken together, all these elements create a situation that can paralyze potential buyers. “

The result of all this is that “confusion and uncertainty can have the same impact as fear, unfortunately,” said David S. Marinoff, a mortgage broker and managing director of the Guard Hill Financial Corporation."

Summing up the problems facing the market is this from Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel and a market analyst for Prudential Douglas Elliman,

“housing does not truly recover until lending does. It is currently dysfunctional.”

Once again the crystal ball goes dim.

Read the full story.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com

MERS – The big bad wolf?

The New York Times lays part of the blame for the mortgage collapse at the feed of the Mortgage Electronic Registration System, Inc., we all know as MERS. In a report headlined “MERS? It May Have Swallowed Your Loan” By Michael Powell and Gretchen Morgenson MERS is taken to task.

“Never heard of MERS? That’s fine with the mortgage banking industry—as MERS is starting to overheat and sputter. If its many detractors are correct, this private corporation, with a full-time staff of fewer than 50 employees, could turn out to be a very public problem for the mortgage industry.”

“Judges, lawmakers, lawyers and housing experts are raising piercing questions about MERS, which stands for Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, whose private mortgage registry has all but replaced the nation’s public land ownership records. Most questions boil down to this:

“How can MERS claim title to those mortgages, and foreclose on homeowners, when it has not invested a dollar in a single loan?

“And, more fundamentally: Given the evidence that many banks have cut corners and made colossal foreclosure mistakes, does anyone know who owns what or owes what to whom anymore?”

As courts have stepped in to protect defaulting homeowners from the specter of foreclosure, every angle to stick it to the banking industry (and thereby the rest of the consuming public.)

We in the title industry were introduced to MERS as a convenient way to insert a nominee in the chain of title to a mortgage. Gone would be the days of lost assignments of mortgage and deeds of trust—something that gave us many a nightmare.

Instead, this admitted convenience to lenders and the real estate industry, and to paraphrase Forrest Gump, has now jumped up and bit the banking industry in the butt.

Examples:

“The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled last year that MERS could no longer file foreclosure proceedings there, because it does not actually make or service any loans. Last month in Utah, a local judge made the no-less-striking decision to let a homeowner rip up his mortgage and walk away debt-free. MERS had claimed ownership of the mortgage, but the judge did not recognize its legal standing.”

“And, on Long Island, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled in February that MERS could no longer act as an “agent” for the owners of mortgage notes. He acknowledged that his decision could erode the foundation of the mortgage business.”

MERS was designed to streamline the ownership system in the days of mortgage securitization “but critics say the MERS system made it far more difficult for homeowners to contest foreclosures, as ownership was harder to ascertain.”

Challenges to MERS were raised by county clerks around the country. After all, they would be cut out of a lucrative source of income raised from recording assignments of mortgage, but they lost in light of the nation’s desire to speed up the mortgage process.

“We lost our revenue stream, and Americans lost the ability to immediately know who owned a piece of property,” said Mark Monacelli, the St. Louis County recorder in Duluth, Minn.” (Oh please.)

“Some experts in corporate governance say the legal furor over MERS is overstated. Others describe it as a useful corporation nearly drowning in a flood tide of mortgage foreclosures. But not even the mortgage giant Fannie Mae, an investor in MERS, depends on it these days.”

In any event, MERS is being made the whipping post for a larger problem—greed of lenders and borrowers.

Read the full article at MERS? It May Have Swallowed Your Loan

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Stephen's Title Agency, LLC

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-227-4724 - Fax 973-556-1628

E-mail Stephenstitle AT comcast.net - www.stephenstitle.com