Bernanke: Homeowners Need More Help

(NEWSER) - More than 20% of Americans with home mortgages owe more to their lenders than their homes are worth, a 2% rise since September, the Washington Post reports. The hardest-hit state was Nevada, where 55% of homeowners with mortgages have negative equity. These 8.3 million homeowners nationwide are much more likely to enter foreclosure; another 2.2 million are at risk of being “underwater,” in industry parlance. More»

Aid plan would back new loans for homeowners in 'upside-down' mortgages

(NEWSER) - Homeowners facing foreclosure could soon be getting a helping hand from the Bush administration, the Washington Post reports. Details are being finalized on a plan that would see portions of loans forgiven for people who now owe the bank more money than their house is worth. The remainder would be refinanced into smaller mortgages backed by public funds. More»

Has financial stake in limiting refinancing for struggling people

(NEWSER) - Freddie Mac was designed to help homeowners—but in 2010 and 2011 it wagered billions against them. The company invested in security packages that meant more cash for Freddie when homeowners couldn't refinance their mortgages. But Freddie itself regulates refinancing—and in fact has been increasingly denying refinances to struggling homeowners—prompting questions over a conflict of interest, reports NPR and ProPublica . "We were actually shocked they did this," says an exec at a firm that trades in mortgage-backed securities. "It seemed so out of line with their mission, out of line with what Congress wanted them to do." More»

Proposal could save homeowners $85B annually

(NEWSER) - Help could be on the way for struggling homeowners with government-backed mortgages: The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would allow such homeowners to refinance their mortgages at today's interest rates, which hover around a low 4%. Many homeowners can’t currently refinance because they owe more than their house’s current value or have poor credit. Such a move could impact millions of homeowners and save them an estimated $85 billion a year, thus stimulating the economy by freeing up that money to be spent in other areas, the New York Times notes. More»

Will examine debacle's effect on real-estate market

(AP) - Federal banking regulators are examining whether mortgage companies cut corners on their own procedures when they moved to foreclose on people's homes, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today. "We are looking intensively at the firms' policies, procedures, and internal controls," Bernanke said. "We take violations of proper procedure very seriously." Preliminary results of the probe are expected next month. More»