Posts Tagged ‘FL loan modification’

Oppenheim Law on Dating and Banking Relationships

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Picture 6Why Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Banks Prefer…Short Sales

It should come as no surprise that only 12.4 percent of Florida borrowers who are at least two months behind on mortgage payments have entered into trial loan modifications through the Obama administration’s Making Home Affordable program.

The first date
For many who tried to get a Florida loan modification, the process is like a bad first date that just won’t end.

When you first got your loan, the bank picked you up in its nice car and took you to a fancy restaurant. Things were going great, but then halfway through the evening, dinner, like the economy, took a downward spiral. In an attempt to save the date, you turned the conversation to other topics and tried to stay on neutral ground, thinking maybe this bank isn’t so bad. Maybe I’m just too picky.

Checking out the blonde across the room
So you changed tactics and decided to go for the loan modification in an attempt to smooth out the relationship. Except now the bank can’t remember your name, your loan or number, and won’t even consider qualifying you until you are in default. You get rejected once or twice before you wise up. You start sending the right signals, only to find that your bank, like your date, has moved on. The negotiator or customer service agent you have been working with has been transferred, just like your date’s eyes have transferred to the blonde across the room.

Becoming too needy
Although commentators suggest that it is the fault of the bank’s parents because they failed to properly train your lender or give your bank incentive to finish out the evening on good terms, the bank is really just playing the odds that there are many fish in the sea. In their eyes, it is purely economical to look at other options while they are still on a date with you.
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Academy Awards, Super Bowl and Loan Modifications

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Last night I actually watched the entire Academy Awards with my family. I don’t remember the last time I ever did that… from the opening number to the Best Picture. This year, I also watched the entire Super Bowl… This is very unusual for me. Then again… we are in truly unusual times. Both of these national events somehow seemed to bring comfort… like apple pie, or chicken pot pie to the national ethos. It felt like we are all one and share a common past time. Last night was truly entertaining, no unnecessary bad jokes or deriding cracks about our government.

But enough of that… lets get back to the issues at hand. On March 4, the Obama Administration will release its details concerning how folks will be able to modify or refinance their mortgages. According to the Sun-Sentinel and Zillow.com, only about 17 percent of South Florida will have enough equity in their homes to refinance. Of course, those won’t be the people facing foreclosure.

You can’t be more than 5 percent underwater. In other words, if your outstanding mortgage principal balance substantially exceeds the value of your home, you will either have to hold on for dear life, do a short sale, or hope that your bank comes to its senses and realizes that a foreclosure is not the answer and will modify your loan by taking a principal reduction haircut.

In fact, we are seeing an entire new industry emerging. Former mortgage brokers, bankers, realtors, real estate attorneys, and appraisers are beginning to organize to assist homeowners with their loan modification needs, especially once the government’s program is announced on March 4, 2009.
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