By Cheryl Reams The U.S. government housing rescue program is on target to spend more than $2-trillion on bail out efforts, according to a review of government allocations. The effort marks the largest amount spent on record to aid real estate markets in a downturn, and is intended to help push the economy in the… Continue reading Housing Bail Out to Top $2-Trillion
Category: Foreclosure
Mortgage Modifications Improve
Mortgage modifications have resulted in more than one million mortgage borrowers receiving a median savings of $500 a month, according to the Treasury Department. The improvement represents a 36% savings in mortgage costs to home borrowers. The temporary modifications are part of the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which has been troubled by a… Continue reading Mortgage Modifications Improve
Foreclosures Keep Pace
For fifty consecutive months foreclosure notices filed against U.S. homes have risen on a year over year basis, according to the latest Realty Trac monthly report. Notices of foreclosure activity were filed against 308,524 properties in February. Foreclosure auctions, including notices of Trustee’s Sales and Notices of Sheriff’s Sales, the last steps in the foreclosure… Continue reading Foreclosures Keep Pace
Foreclosure Numbers Decline
Foreclosure notices declined in January, but still remain at record high levels for the year, according to the latest Realty Trac monthly report. Some 315,716 properties were tagged with notices during the month nationwide. The decline in notices marked a 10% drop from December numbers, but shows that one in every 409 housing units is… Continue reading Foreclosure Numbers Decline
Two Years Later Foreclosure Crisis Far From Ending
By Mike Colpitts Two years after Housing Predictor was the first real estate research firm to forecast the foreclosure epidemic the crisis is caught up in a maze of bureaucratic red tape, squabbling in Congress and political turmoil. Since the crisis began bankers have made an estimated 5-million foreclosures, and it is only forecast to… Continue reading Two Years Later Foreclosure Crisis Far From Ending
Mortgage Modifications Lag
Bureaucratic stumbling blocks and red tape have hampered the government’s mortgage modification plan, helping only a small number of Americans stay in their homes, Treasury Department officials acknowledged. The Obama Administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) has permanently modified only 66,000 homeowner mortgages from more than 4-million that may be eligible for the plan. Another… Continue reading Mortgage Modifications Lag
Answer: Saving the Real Estate Market
There are no perfect choices as President Barack Obama sits down with his financial advisors to talk over just what they’ll do next in the housing mess. Some choices are just better than others. Wall Street greed and bankers blunders got us to this point with the economy, and straightening out the mess is like… Continue reading Answer: Saving the Real Estate Market
No Hurry for Those at Risk of Foreclosure
Senator Jack Reed D-Rhode Island Senator Dick Durbin D-Illinois Senator Sheldon Whitehouse D-Rhode Island No Hurry for Those at Risk of Foreclosure By Mike Colpitts Two months after the proposal to force bankers to work with homeowners at risk of foreclosure was introduced in Congress the bill is bogged down in committee. A House Financial… Continue reading No Hurry for Those at Risk of Foreclosure
Housing Recovery on the Way
Powered by the highest number of home sales in more than two years, the housing market appears to be on the road to recovery – at least to some consumers. First time buyers pushed to close purchases before the looming government deadline expired for an $8,000 tax credit. Rock bottom priced triggered a flood of… Continue reading Housing Recovery on the Way
Forty-Eight States in Taxing Turmoil
Forty-eight of all 50 U.S. states are in economic turmoil as a result of the housing bust and the financial crisis. States have laid-off employees, slashed budgets and cut back on services, including schools and emergency services such as police and fire department personnel. “Forty-eight states are in budget crisis,” according to New York Governor… Continue reading Forty-Eight States in Taxing Turmoil