Saturday, January 3, 2009

The truth about home loan workout plans

By J. Ochs

Foreclosure rates are at an all-time high in the US right now. Stories of houses being abandoned by their owners and turned back over to the bank are all too common. The funny thing is that the banks don't even want the houses back, as they aren't in the real estate business; they're in the business of banking. This is an important fact to keep in mind if you happen to be in a place where you can't afford to pay for your mortgage anymore. Whether you're in financial distress in general, unable to keep up with your adjustable rate mortgage or some other bind, there ARE programs out there that will help you restructure your current loan and allow you to keep your house and get your loan back in order.

Loss Mitigation, Loan Modification and Home Loan workout programs are three options you have. Many companies offer one or all of the programs just mentioned, but before signing up with any company, check them out first! Make sure they are reputable. Financial relief is possible with a successful program offered by the right company.

Here is a practical example of this type of program in action: Borrower owes $400,000 at 8% and the home is worth $340,000. After foreclosing, bank must re-list the property or sell at auction. Either method can end up costing an additional $60,000 or more in losses.

In this example, bank will lose at least $120,000 if a client decides to "walk away". Through modification and lowering interest rate to 5.25% on a 30yr fixed term, bank will make close to $400,000 in future interest payments. The result is a win-win for all parties involved.

Homeowners can occasionally be successful at working out loan modifications on their own, however default rates with attorney-backed modifications are 5% or less. Self-help modifications are defaulting at over 50%. This is why banks prefer to work with attorneys.

Another perk to a loan modification is that if an attorney works out a loan for you and it doesn't work out, your program cost is most often refundable. Amazing results are possible with restructured loans! You could wind up seeing lower monthly payments, loan principal reductions, interest rate reductions, extended payment terms and more!

We can give you a free consultation to see what can be done to best fix the financial fiasco you're dealing with. If you're having problems making your current mortgage payment or you're dealing with an adjustable rate mortgage that doesn't work for you anymore, give us a call at 1-888-282-1011 and get some more information about our loan modification program! - 16463

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