Under Water on Home loans Maybe something we will keep you posted

"Not enough can be said about the importance of silence!" But there is no silence on rumors that the Treasury Department might try to push through a new initiative, referred to as the "Market Rate Modification Program," which will allow underwater borrowers with non-agency mortgages to refinance to today's low interest rates. That's right, anyone with an Alt-A, subprime, option ARM, jumbo, etc., should pay attention. As one lender wrote to me, "Katy bar the door!" This group has definitely been left out of all the fun, although the Treasury Department, and plenty of major servicers, has determined that borrowers with current LTV's north of 125% who have such loans are more likely to default, despite being current on payments. It is believed that what will be suggested is if a borrower is one of those "Significantly Underwater Borrowers" that is current on mortgage payments, they'll need to do is provide a hardship affidavit with the loan application which is meant to prove a "reasonably foreseeable default" under mortgage securitization rules. And this would supposedly satisfy investors who might otherwise prefer their higher original yield. Each month during the five years after the modification took place, the Treasury would pay loan servicers the difference in interest between the borrower's old rate and new. After the five years are up, the Treasury would stop compensating servicers, regardless of whether said loans were above water or not, and the borrower's interest rate would remain at the lower rate.

Complements Rob Chrisman