Feldman Law Center – What to do About Interest Rates
January 5th, 2010 by adminWhen people hear about loan modifications, they learn that one of the most common ways to lower your monthly mortgage payments is to adjust your interest rate. For example, if you have an adjustable rate mortgage, you could get your interest rate lowered for some period of time. You could also switch from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage, and this way not only would your mortgage payment be cheaper, but you could know what it will be over the long haul.
The challenge is, adjusting your interest rate, or setting your interest rate permanently may not be your best option. It may seem simple, but you could have other choices available to you that you are not aware of. One of the benefits of having a loan modification attorney working with you is that they may be aware of options you are not aware of.
For example, a loan modification does not necessarily have to involve an interest rate adjustment. Other loan modification options involve principal reductions and lengthening the term of your loan. If you get a principal reduction, it could mean that a loan for $500,000 could be lowered to $380,000, which would obviously have a huge impact on your monthly mortgage payments. You could also get the term lengthened, and go from a 30 year mortgage to a 40 year mortgage. An extra ten years would give you an extra 120 months to spread out your payments, which would also lower your monthly mortgage payments.
Interest rates were at an all time low in December, and stayed there for quite a while. However, they’ve gone up and down and recently have reached their highest point in quite a while. This sort of uncertainty is not beneficial to your current situation, especially if you’re facing foreclosure. The federal government has instituted many plans to lower interest rates, including using $600 billion to get more buyers into the market in hopes of stabilizing home prices and reviving the economy. However, the federal government’s effectiveness has gone up and down.
Loan modification attorneys can be a trusted ally in the battle to keep your home. A California loan modification attorney can give you the lowdown on your situation, as well as the many options available to you. While getting an altered interest rate may be to your benefit, it could also be that other options work better for your situation. Lowering your principal balance could be an option, and it would also be a great long term solution. Changing the length of the loan could also be a great long term option, and both of these would lower your monthly payments.
If you are facing a foreclosure, or if you are facing some other type of financial crisis, a loan modification could be your best option. These days, almost everyone is watching the economy, waiting for their own situation to worsen. Unfortunately, these are tough times, but a loan modification attorney could help out quite a bit.
The Mysteriously Shifty Interest Rate And Housing Industry
December 4th, 2009 by adminMortgage rates dropped yet again early last week, but then ended on a sour note as prices of mortgage backed securities fell steeply. The average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages fell further below 5%, according to the weekly survey issued by Freddie Mac. Losses on mortgage backed securities continued all the way into the close of the day, which forced banks to reissue higher mortgage rates. We do have some potentially market moving data being released this week which could help slow the pace of rising mortgage rates, mainly the Fannie/Freddie news releases late in the week.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.87% for the week, which was the lowest since May. The average for the week prior was 4.94% and the year prior was 5.94%. Also, rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages were 4.33%, which is the lowest interest rate of it’s kind on record. But, how is this effecting the mortgage industry, and where are mortgage rates expected to go? In order to secure a mortgage in todays economic climate, the borrower generally must have 20% for a down payment and a FICO above 740. This limits the pool to a small percentage of borrowers eligible for optimal financing or refinancing. However, the falling rates have spurred an increase in refinancing activity, which reached a 19-week high last week. The number of U.S. mortgage applications fell last week with a 5 percent rise in interest rates on 30-year mortgages.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said rates on the most widely used loan, 30-year fixed mortgages, rose above 5 percent for the first time in a month after falling to a four-month low. Mortgage rates being below 5 percent is regarded as a psychological threshold, and has increased mortgage refinancing activity dramatically. Any positive statistic in the housing and mortgage industry has been attributed to low mortgage rates, high affordability and the federal government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. But this silver cloud has a grey lining. The stimulus inspired tax credit is soon to expire, and mortgage defaulted properties make up a large portion of home sales this year. So, any forward momentum in real estate and mortgage activity is not an indicator of the long-term outlook. Thomas Lawler, a housing economist, does not see the merit in extending the tax credit. “It is extremely expensive and the program does not directly impact the core issues facing the housing market, namely a weak jobs market and slow growth in household formation,” he said. To make matters worse, the American jobless rate in September hit a 26-year high at 9.8 percent. “The biggest cloud over the housing market right now is by far foreclosures and if it were not for that issue people should be feeling pretty good,” Lawler said. “People cannot look at the number of loans that are delinquent and not be worried.” The housing market, however, has shown some signs of stabilization. Home sales have begun to rise for the first time in over a year. And house price declines are leveling throughout the country, home prices in some areas have risen. Mortgage Rates are watched closely by those who regard them as the rudder to the real estate market.
Saving Millions by Home Loan Modification Program at Low Interest Rates
December 2nd, 2009 by adminMortgage loan modification means to try to get a better bargain from one’s moneylender regarding the terms and conditions levied on the loan. It could be a request to write off precedent credit amounts, decreasing the rate of interest, and increase the tenure of loan repayment, which will reduce the monthly sum to be paid. All the credentials involved in the process should be handled carefully, and the creditors should be handled efficiently to get the best deal possible. Loan modification will reorganize one’s current loan, to make it easier to repay, by fitting it into one’s budget.
A loan modification letter is a letter one writes to a mortgage refinance company to make them aware that one is in a crisis, and it is becoming difficult to make the compulsory monthly payments. The letter should be precise and should not resemble a sob story. The letter can help one evade bankruptcy, and some of the loan payments may be relieved, until one comes out of the financial trouble one is in. One has to be very sincere in writing this letter, as the mortgage company will check, and recheck the financial background of the writer.
Home loan modification can be of great help to homeowners, who are in great debt. While availing this loan one should carefully consider the rate of interest, and the terms and conditions involved. One should have a good credit history to get a fast loan approval. A home loan modification program helps to lower the applicable rate of interest. The program is made to benefit the lenders as well as borrowers. The program also helps the borrower to avert the risk of selling off their home.
A lender will definitely reject a loan application if one has poor or no credit. A hardship loan modification will help to make the routine payments on time, and thus give one good credit, and raise one’s credit ranking. This loan can be availed by submitting a hardship letter to the money lending individual or organization. A mortgage is a responsibility on the person who has taken it. Mortgage refinance has many advantages. It lowers the amount of monthly payment to be made, rate of interest and the tenure of repayment.
Refinance mortgage rates depends on factors like one’s credit ranking, and the amount of down payment one can afford to make. One should refinance mortgage when the prevailing interest rates are low, so the monthly payments one needs to make will also be lower. A second mortgage is a loan taken after availing a first loan against the same property. A second mortgage has its own share of positives and negatives. It should not be taken unless one requires a great amount of finance, as it can turn out to be a liability. Bad credit mortgage refinance offers refinance to people with bad or no credit. The benefits of this loan include a fast approval of the loan, and a lower rate of interest.
Get a Low Interest Rate Used Car Loan With Bad Credit to Save Money
November 30th, 2009 by adminAn online car loan is a loan, which is available online or on the internet. The borrower has to fill up a simple online application form online which is free of cost. The information on the form is kept confidential, and is not shared with other people. Once the application is processed a representative will inform about the documents needed to complete the car loan application process. One has to visit a dealer, select a car of one’s choice and the deal is complete.
One has to buy a used car as one is short of finance. Hence, one applying for a used car loan must opt for a loan which has lowest used car loan rate of interest. So the monthly payments can be easily disbursed. The car must be thoroughly inspected before buying to make sure it is not having many technical problems, which will cost a lot of money. A low interest car loan can be in form of secured or unsecured loan. A secured loan has a low rate of interest, but uses the home of the borrower as security. Whereas, in an unsecured loan doesn’t have any security against the loan, but a higher rate of interest.
Low interest car loans can be availed if one has a good credit history. The lender of the loan will be rest assured, that the borrower will not evade the loan payment. Also if one wants a low interest auto loan one should avoid buying from car dealers as their rate of interest is quite high. Used car financing is offered by many financial organizations nowadays. One needs to make a down payment, when using used car financing. This has a verification of the loan. With a higher down payment one will get a lower rate of interest, and the monthly payment to be made will also be reduced. New cars are very expensive; hence people resort to buying used cars.
Used cars cost much less than a brand new car. But still people need financial assistance. Used car loans can be of great help in these circumstances. They help people buy used cars within their small budgets.
Do Not Trust the Interest Rates
November 27th, 2009 by adminAre you having a hard time refinancing your loan? Have you noticed that interest rates are fluctuating like crazy? Well, unfortunately, the real estate market is going nuts these days trying to find the top, the bottom or just some sense of stability.
Recent news coming out of Mortgage Finance magazine confirms that recent spikes in mortgage rates have consumers wondering whether they have missed the chance to refinance. After months, and almost years, of incredibly low interest rates, the declining rates seem to be at an end. However, no one knows what the situation is, and it has the entire industry in flux once again.
For example, some in government positions are saying that the housing crisis is almost over, while banking titans and Wall Street financial gurus are claiming the opposite. Mortgage interest rates are up one day, down the next, and homeowners are being slammed in the process. The interest rate you get this week might be worse than what you could get next week.
Solutions
If you are trying to refinance because you are in a difficult financial situation, a loan modification might be the answer you are looking for. Refinancing your house is incredibly difficult, especially if you have bad or poor credit. If you have not stayed on top of your credit score, or if your current financial troubles have affected every area of your life, refinancing might not be the option for you. A California loan modification does not hinge upon what your past credit score is, it hinges more upon your ability to continue to make payments throughout the course of your loan. If you have a subprime mortgage with payments that are ballooning, a loan modification might be a more effective avenue than refinancing.
Fluctuating interest rates means that lenders might just sit back and allow the rates to fluctuate until it serves them best. If this is the case, you could be stuck with a terrible interest rate for months, or even years. With a loan modification, you could hire a loan modification attorney to work on your behalf to get your interest rate lowered to something you can afford. As opposed to a spiking subprime interest rate, you might be able to get something substantially lower and/or a fixed interest rate. Either of these could go a long way towards lowering your monthly mortgage payments and giving you more financially flexibility and stability. Many analysts are stating that the interest rates will spike heavily once the government’s efforts to buy mortgage-backed securities ends. Any efforts to kick-start the economy will collapse if that happens, and refinancing will be near impossible.
A California loan modification attorney might just be your new best friend. They have options available to you that you may not have explored, or even thought about. While refinancing at times can depend upon the mood of the banker, a loan modification attorney will work aggressively to get you terms you and your family can live with.
Avoid the fluctuating interest rate game and contact a California home loan modification attorney today!
What Interest Rate Should I Get With a Mortgage Modification?
November 23rd, 2009 by adminIt could be as low as 2% on a 40 year amortization. Your modified payment will depend primarily on your Current Income. Therefore, lower income means lower rates. Interestingly, the traditional risk variables that would ordinarily determine your interest rate when applying for a loan are turned on their head with the Making Home Affordable (MHA) loan modification program.
Can you imagine going back a couple years and having a banker say to you, “We could give you a lower rate if you were delinquent or even if you just made less money but it appears that you can afford to pay more than your neighbor so that’s what we are going to charge”. Homeowners that are interested in benefitting from MHA shouldn’t put off applying for the home-equivalent of “Cash-for-Clunkers”.
The auto industries 3 Billion dollar bucket of money is almost gone and mortgage servicers have really gotten their act together on participating in MHA so even the much larger 75 billion dollar bucket will tap out.
There are gotchas within MHA guidelines just like there were with Cash-for-Clunkers but qualifying candidates should come out of it with a payment at 31% of their gross income even if that means a 6 month delinquent borrower gets reset as low as 2% on a 40 year amortization! If you want to see if you may qualify for a MHA loan modification then contact your mortgage servicer, a real estate attorney or use the free online evaluation at: www.illinoismortgagemods.com
