The U.S. Treasury will soon finalize a plan to expand its incentives for mortgage companies to include "short sales" as a way to stem a rising tide of foreclosures, according to a Treasury spokeswoman.
"Short sales," or sales of homes for less than the balance on existing mortgages, are seen as a key way to supplement other efforts such as loan modifications to steady housing. Unlike most modifications, "short sales" eliminate the problem of negative equity that has become a big reason for defaults as home prices have plunged.
The incentives, first announced in May, would expand the government's Home Affordable Modification Program that has seen limited success in lowering payments for hundreds of thousands of homeowners deemed eligible. Just 12 percent of homeowners eligible have had their loans reworked, leaving millions more foreclosures to come, the Treasury said on September 9. complete story
Source: Reuters - Al Yoon
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