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Jan.
4, 2008
A New Alternative to Refinancing
Tom Kerr writes:
When homeowners can't afford the unexpected higher payments, their
first line of defense is to refinance into a more attractive and manageable
loan. While mortgage refinance strategies have inspired an unprecedented
number of new loan refinance applications, many of those attempts are
now being met with rejection from lenders. That's because they've tightened
their rules and regulations to curtail risk and offset losses. What
that means for you is that it's much harder to get a loan than it used
to be. Homeowners who had no trouble refinancing a couple of years ago
may find that they don't qualify anymore under the new guidelines. With
no way to refinance, they're stuck in mortgages that keep getting more
expensive, even as real estate values shrink, and home equity diminishes
or vanishes completely. Blair recommended that the plan be applied only
to help homeowners who live in their homes-not investors who bought
property for investment purposes only. The approach would essentially
accomplish the same thing that homeowners are hoping to achieve through
a mortgage refinance, and could prevent hundreds of thousands-if not
millions-of devastating foreclosures.
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