Do You Qualify For Obama's Federal Loan Modification Program?

By Author: Brian Stephens
Total Articles: 15
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In order to help people who are having a hard time meeting their mortgage payments a new federal loan modification program has been introduced under the Obama administration. The program is intended for anyone who has high interest loans against their homes. This problem is currently affecting millions of homeowners so the financing that has been set aside in order to provide the levels of aid required totals $75 billion dollars.

The intention of the Obama federal loan modification program is reduce the repayments of homeowners to affordable levels that can be sustained on an ongoing basis. The maximum total monthly repayment level (including capital repayments, interest, insurance and tax) that is available is 38% of gross monthly income and that is only available under special circumstances, the more typical maximum for people meeting the qualification criteria is 31%.

To encourage participation the government is offering financial rewards for each loan modification and any lost revenue due to lower interest rates will be government funded. The borrowers are also being offered incentives to meet repayments that ...
... could be worth a total of $5000 dollars over 5 years, these incentives will be used to pay off a portion of the capital (Principal) of the loan.

To speed up the application for a loan modification you need have available the following documented information:

* Proof of gross monthly income from all sources
* Your latest tax return
* Proof of any valuable assets
* The details of any 2nd mortgage on the house
* The balances and minimum monthly payments required for all credit cards
* The balances and monthly payments of any other loans you have
* A letter that explains why your mortgage has become unaffordable

With Obama's 'make home affordable' program you do not have to be delinquent on your payments, if you can demonstrate that your total monthly mortgage repayments are greater than 31% of your gross monthly income, you may be eligible even if you are up to date on your payments.

New initiatives have been recently added to the 'Home Affordable Modification Program' suite of aid packages. For example there is now a 'Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative' (HAFA) option for anyone who has failed to make a successful application to HAMP. Again strict guidelines apply so you will need to check eligibility criteria.

Another addition has been an 'unemployment program' (UP), which is intended to help anyone who may have lost their jobs. This initiative may help you get your mortgage repayments significantly reduced or even suspended for a period while you search for a new job.

For help and advice on mortgage refinancing, loan modifications and loans visit Mortgage Refinance

You also need to understand the qualifying criteria for the different aspects on offer so that you know if you are eligible and how you can benefit. Home Loan Mortgage Refinance provides detailed information on the stimulus package and what it offers.