Keep Your Home California, mortgage servicers help homeowners facing underwater mortgages
Posted: December 16, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bank of america, funding, GMAC, housing, mortgage assistance, Principal Reduction Program Leave a comment »Note: This is the third blog in a series that details the four programs available from Keep Your Home California.
Many cash-strapped homeowners in California are staggering from a powerful one-two punch – getting behind on their monthly mortgage payments while the value of their home plummets.
For these hard-hit homeowners, the American dream has become a real-life nightmare. But a Keep Your Home California program can cut principal, lower monthly payments and reduce the number of toss-and-turn nights.
The appropriately named Principal Reduction Program offers low- to moderate-income homeowners as much as $50,000 to reduce the money owned on their mortgage. Now, lenders/mortgage servicers must participate in the program – and provide capital on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis. So, some homeowners could receive as much as $100,000 over a three-year period (now, that got your attention, huh?)
Currently, 11 mortgage servicers participate in the Principal Reduction Program, including Bank of America and GMAC. But more mortgage servicers (learn about servicers here) join the lineup every few weeks, so keep checking the complete list at http://www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/participating.htm.
Keep Your Home California – funded with $2 billion as part of the U.S. Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund – has set aside more than $790 million to assist homeowners “underwater” with their current mortgages through the Principal Reduction Program. And there are many homeowners that owe more – in many cases, a lot more – than the current value of their home.
In fact, the GoldenState has more than 2 million underwater mortgages, about 30 percent of the outstanding mortgages – the fifth-highest rate in the nation, according to industry tracker CoreLogic. However, California is far from the hard-to-believe 60% rate in Nevada.
So, as you can tell from the data, news reports and just talking with family members, friends and neighbors – or maybe even looking in the mirror – underwater mortgages are a serious problem in the state.
Now, just like any of the Keep Your Home California programs, there are some requirements, most notably the mortgage must be delinquent or at risk of imminent default.
In addition, just like the previously mentioned Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program, homeowners must have adequate income to make the modified mortgage payments. Quite simply, we need to ensure that homeowners approved for the program are financially able – and willing – to make the monthly payments and meet lender requirements. Otherwise, we are setting aside dollars that could be used for another family in desperate need of mortgage assistance.
The Principal Reduction Program also follows the same basic requirements as those mentioned in the previous two blogs:
- The first lien mortgage must be originated on or before Jan. 1, 2009.
- The applicant must own and occupy the home, which includes condominiums or town houses.
- The house must be the homeowner’s primary residence.
- Homeowners must agree to provide all necessary documentation.
- Financial hardship cannot be from a voluntary employment resignation (as in “I quit!”).
The Principal Reduction Program has other requirements, so we encourage you to read the summary guidelines at http://www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/programs/prp.pdf .
But if you’re a homeowner facing foreclosure or are seriously underwater with the mortgage, consider the program – and let Keep Your Home California work for you.
As always, if you would like more information about Keep Your Home California and our four programs, check www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org (www.ConservaTuCasaCalifornia.org in Spanish) or call 888-954-5337 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Get Back on Track with Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program
Posted: December 2, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, mortgage assistance, qualifing, unemployment mortgage assistance Leave a comment »
Keep Your Home California
Note: This is the second blog in a four-week series that details the four programs available from Keep Your Home California.
Life has many twists and turns, and sometimes circumstances can throw a rather wicked curve.
Take the current economy and employment situation, where almost one of every eight Californians is jobless, many more have accepted lower-paying or part-time positions, and others face furloughs or hefty pay cuts.
For hard-hit homeowners, a loss of income can make the monthly mortgage payment a rough road. Sometimes, homeowners may miss a couple mortgage payments, and catching up can be tough.
So, Keep Your Home California established a program that helps homeowners get back on track when they face imminent danger of losing their home to foreclosure.
The Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program allows low- to moderate-income homeowners to reinstate their past-due mortgage loans. Basically, if you are behind on payments – but not in foreclosure – we can help with as much as $20,000. Now, how much depends on numerous factors, so we encourage homeowners to learn more about the program at www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org and call our counseling center at 888-954-5337.
A few of the more straightforward program requirements include:
- The loan must be less than two payments delinquent as of the date of request for assistance.
- The applicant must own and occupy the home, which includes condominiums or town houses.
- The house must be the homeowner’s primary residence.
- Financial hardship cannot be from a voluntary employment resignation (as in “I quit!”).
Another requirement, one that deserves at least a few sentences – homeowners must have adequate income to make the reinstated first lien mortgage. The Keep Your Home California program will help cure the delinquent first mortgage, including possible payments to reinstate the loan from foreclosure, but we must make sure homeowners can afford the payments down the road. So, the mortgage payment cannot exceed 31 percent of the homeowner’s gross monthly income.
Quite honestly, the last thing we would want to do is get a homeowner in good standing on their mortgage only to have them start missing payments a few months later, especially when those dollars could benefit another homeowner able – and willing – to stay current on their loan.
And, of course, just like all of the four programs, your mortgage servicer must participate in the program. A vast majority of the 50 mortgage servicers currently participating in Keep Your Home California (see the complete list at http://www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/participating.htm) signed on for the Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program. (Get the details on mortgage servicers from this previous blog.)
Keep Your Home California has allocated $129.4 million for the Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program. We estimate the program will help about 9,200 homeowners, based on an average funding of $14,048.
So, now that you know the basic information about the Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program, check out the details at http://www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/mrap.htm and call 888-954-5337 to see if it will work.
If you would like more information about Keep Your Home California and our four programs, check www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org (www.ConservaTuCasaCalifornia.org in Spanish) or call 888-954-5337 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Almost 2.2 Million Californians Unemployed, $875 Million to Help Jobless Homeowners with Mortgage Payments
Posted: October 17, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, housing, mortgage assistance, unemployment mortgage assistance Leave a comment »Note: This is the first blog of a four-week series that details the four programs available from Keep Your Home California.
How bad is California’s economy and unemployment picture? Well, consider this – there are 2.18 million jobless people in the state, the equivalent to everyone in San Diego and San Francisco, combined. 
It’s a jaw-dropping figure.
Many of these out-of-work Californians are financially strapped homeowners, wondering how they will make their next mortgage payment. Fortunately, Keep Your Home California’s Unemployment Mortgage Assistance program can help some of these hard-hit homeowners. The state-run program has allocated almost $875 million to help low- to moderate-income homeowners with their mortgage payments while unemployed.
The mortgage assistance program offers $3,000 per month or 100 percent of PITI (principal, interest, tax and insurance) and any escrowed homeowner’s association dues or assessments, whichever is less.
Now, there are some very specific requirements before applying for the program, and we encourage homeowners to read them at www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/uma.htm. Here are just a few requirements for homeowners that will determine if they are eligible for the Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program:
- The program is designed for homeowners who are currently eligible to receive unemployment benefits from the state Employment Development Department.
- Homeowners must be considered low- to-moderate income, basically earn 120 percent or less of the Housing and Community Development Area Median Income. You can check a previous blog that details income eligibility to learn more, and review the county-by-county list of income levels. Each county has a different income level.
- A house in foreclosure is not eligible for the program.
- The home cannot be abandoned, vacant or condemned and it must serve as the homeowner’s primary residence.
Of course, requirements detailed in previous blogs still stand, specifically your mortgage servicer must participate in the Unemployment Mortgage Assistance program (check this previous blog to learn more about mortgage servicers).
Here is the complete list www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/participating.htm of mortgage servicers and how they participate in Keep Your Home California. We have almost 50 mortgage servicers participating in Keep Your Home California, and these companies service more than 85 percent of the mortgages held by California homeowners. Now, if your mortgage servicer is not listed, check back often since more are added almost every week.
So, if you are an out-of-work homeowner, check out the details about the Unemployment Mortgage Assistance program at www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/uma.htm and call 888-954-KEEP (5337) as soon as possible. We anticipate helping about 60,500 homeowners with the program, with average funding of $14,455.
If you would like more information about Keep Your Home California and our four programs, check www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org (www.ConservaTuCasaCalifornia.org in Spanish) or call 888-954-5337 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Mortgage Servicers hold the key to Keep Your Home California
Posted: September 20, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bank of america, mortgage assistance, mortgage servicer, point loma credit union, santa barbara bank & trust, wells fargo Leave a comment »Buying a home is a big deal with many confusing definitions, especially when it comes to your mortgage.
When you bought the home, you were probably more concerned about the down payment, points and how long the escrow would take, not to mention the monthly payments.
So, some of the finer details, such as the difference between the lender and mortgage servicer, were likely overlooked – and possibly still today. But Keep Your Home California’s success – and your own, if you’re seeking mortgage assistance – depends on participation from mortgage servicers.
First, before we detail that critical connection, we should give a bit of background on mortgage servicers.
Many homeowners believe that the mortgage lender holds and services their loan until it’s paid off or they sell the house. Well, that doesn’t happen very often. In fact, loans and the right to service them are often bought and sold, sometimes several times during the life of a mortgage. So, the company that collects the mortgage payments likely doesn’t own the loan.
These so-called mortgage servicers handle the day-to-day management of mortgages, including collecting and crediting payments. Homeowners with questions about their mortgage call the servicer – not the actual mortgage lender.
And mortgage servicers play a major role in Keep Your Home California. Only homeowners with participating mortgage servicers can get help through the almost $2 billion, state-run program. Click here for a complete list of mortgage servicers and their participation in Keep Your HomeCalifornia.
Currently, the program has about 40 mortgage servicers, from big-name players Bank of America and Wells Fargo to smaller financial institutions such as Point Loma Credit Union and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.
This collection of servicers has a big impact on California homeowners – servicing about 85 percent of the mortgages held in our state. And Keep Your Home California, which officially launched in February 2011, continues to attract more mortgage servicers.
So, if your mortgage servicer is not listed, don’t be discouraged, they could join Keep Your Home California in the future. It’s best to check the list of participating servicers every several days, since it’s updated frequently. You also could contact the mortgage servicer and ask if they plan to participate.
If you would like more information about participating mortgage servicers and Keep Your Home California, call 888-954-5337.
You earn too much for a state program? You may want to think again and check our income limits
Posted: September 13, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, housing, income limits, low-income, moderate-income, mortgage assistance, qualifing Leave a comment »Cash-strapped homeowners have many questions about Keep Your Home California, and one of the most frequent is our definition of low- to moderate-income homeowners.
For many Californians our state run program can help you Keep Your Home.
Some homeowners might consider their income far too high to meet the limits for the program. Sure, if you’re Apple’s Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook fame, or the Google co-founders, you won’t be eligible.
But for many Californians – those who check their iPhone apps or Facebook page too much, or Google non-work items at the office – our state-run program could help you with those mortgage payments.
And Keep Your Home California has some easy-to-grasp limits to determine eligibility. We strongly encourage homeowners to check the income limits.
Before you assume you make too much, check out the site.
A family earning up to $124,300 in Santa Clara County is eligible for Keep Your Home California, while homeowners in 18 counties – such as Kings and Modoc — have a much-lower limit of $68,650. The primary reason? Homes are cheaper in some counties than others.
In July, Sunnyvale’s median-home price – meaning half the homes sold for more, the other half for less – was $636,500, compared to $120,000 in Modesto, about 90 miles away, according to DataQuick. Drive a little, save a lot (maybe not as much as the housing boom, but still a significant difference, about $5,700 per mile).
Determining whether you meet the eligibility requirement is just the first step in the process with Keep Your Home California. Yes, there is some homework – and even some paperwork – to apply for the program (some homeowners could be eligible for multiple programs and more money, click here for a previous blog on the subject), but it’s about keeping your home, helping the community avoid another empty house and improve the state’s economy.
So, check the income limits and see if you qualify, then call 888-954-5337, the next step in keeping your home. Check our website for more details on Keep Your Home California and the four programs available. And keep reading this blog for more information.
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Four Programs, One Goal — Helping Homeowners
Posted: September 8, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Cash-strapped homeowners who want to avoid foreclosure have four programs under Keep Your Home California, each with thousands of dollars available – and in some cases as much as $100,000.
The federally funded, state-run effort established the four programs after input from community leaders statewide. Quite simply, we wanted to know the best way to put almost $2 billion to work for low and moderate income families in the Golden State, from El Centro to Crescent City.
Each program caters to specific needs, such as jobless homeowners looking for help with the mortgage for a few months while they find work to those needing to reduce loan principal to make their payments work. And, like most efforts, you need to find the program that best fits your needs.
We’ll go over the basics of each of the four programs, but we strongly encourage you to contact our customer-service reps who can check if you are eligible, determine the best program for your needs and start the process.
Below is an overview – all the detailed information is available at www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org, including a seven-minute video on the process.
Also, please remember that some homeowners are eligible for multiple programs. When you apply and begin the process, representatives can answer questions about eligibility and determine if multiple programs – and more funds – are possible.
- • Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program – Out of work and need some money for the mortgage payment? Well, maybe we can help. Keep Your Home California will provide as much as $3,000 or the combined monthly payment of principal, interest, taxes insurance and homeowners’ association dues, whichever is less, for a maximum of six months. Of course, there are some requirements, including that you must be receiving unemployment benefits from the California Employment Development Department.
- Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance Program – Homeowners behind on their mortgage – including interest, taxes, insurance and homeowners’ association dues – can receive as much as $15,000 to help get back in step on the payments, a huge help for consumers with a short-term issue that affected their income. Homeowners must also prove they can afford the mortgage payment once it’s reinstated, otherwise we are creating a situation for failure – and that’s not good for anyone, from the homeowner to the lender. Some homeowners can combine this program with California Housing Finance Agency’s Loan Modification Program. More than $129 million has been earmarked for this program.
- Principal Reduction Program – This program is like going on a fiscal diet, trimming your mortgage principal balance. How much of a cut to the mortgage principal depends on additional Keep Your Home California assistance funds (yes, you can get dollars from other programs mentioned above). Note: like all of our programs, your mortgage servicer must be participating in Keep Your Home California for this to work for you. Unfortunately, this program has been the most difficult to get mortgage servicers to participate in. Check our list of servicers to see if your servicer is participating.
- Transitional Assistance Program – We realize that sometimes it’s best for people to transition to another type of housing. So, when it comes to getting back on track for homeowners who avoided foreclosure through a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, maybe we can help. The Transitional Assistance Program offers as much as $5,000 for families to find a new place to live
The information above is intended only as an overview. Our website, www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org, has all the details.
Or you can simply call one of our counselors at 888-954-5337 to get more information and check eligibility. Who knows, maybe we can help with thousands of dollars.
Where Do The Dollars for Keep Your Home California Come From?
Posted: August 29, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, housing, mortgage assistance Leave a comment »
California home owners hard hit by the economy are getting a helping hand from Uncle Sam.
The U.S. Treasury Department, as part of the rescue of the financial system in 2008, set aside funds to help homeowners in 18 states – including California – hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. The California Housing Finance Agency, after consulting with community leaders statewide, established the four programs of Keep Your Home California.
The state-run program has almost $2 billion and a clearly defined goal – keep homeowners facing foreclosure in their homes, whenever possible (as if our name wasn’t enough of a giveaway, huh?).
State officials established the four programs to meet that goal, from helping the behind-in-payments homeowner to those who need some money after a short sale. Two other programs also are available, assisting unemployed homeowners struggling to pay their bills and a principal-reduction program for homeowners with much-lower home values (many owe more than the value of their home).
Keep Your Home California has earmarked $875 million to Unemployment Mortgage Assistance, the largest of the four programs. The Principal Reduction program is the second largest at $790 million, followed by the Mortgage Reinstatement program at $129 million. The remaining dollars are earmarked to help homeowners relocate after a short sale; as long as the loan service approves the plan (next week’s blog will provide more details on the four programs).
The federal funds, part of a $75 billion effort by the Obama administration to help troubled borrowers, also benefits the state and its residents, even those who are current on their mortgage.
The program helps the still-struggling state in numerous ways. Foreclosed homes are bad for business, the economy and neighborhoods, just ask anyone who lives next to a long-empty home.
“Foreclosures create a huge problem for the city, and I think the program will be beneficial in keeping people in their homes,” Signal Hill redevelopment manager Elise McCaleb recently told the Signal Tribune in Southern California.
And California has far too many people losing their homes. The Golden State has been one of the hardest-hit housing markets, rivaling Arizona, Florida and Nevada. The state has averaged more than 15,000 homes entering foreclosure every month during the past two years, according to industry trackers.
So, if you are facing foreclosure, you’re far from alone.
That’s why we encourage homeowners to call 888-954-KEEP or click http://www.keepyourhomecalifornia.org/ to get more information and see if they qualify.
Click, Call To Learn About Keep Your Home California
Posted: August 15, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Welcome to Keep Your Home California’s blog – and our first-ever posting!
The blog’s goal is to educate homeowners about Keep Your Home California, a state-run program with almost $2 billion in federal funds to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
Let’s be clear, foreclosure is a difficult, emotional, gut-wrenching process. Foreclosure turns the American Dream into a real-life nightmare.
Keep Your Home California is an alternative to foreclosure for low and moderate income homeowners, hopefully turning toss-and-turn nights into restful sleep.
So far, more than 6,000 families are well on their way to keeping their homes since the program started early this year. While not every homeowner will qualify, we are working to make this process as simple as possible.
We have some of the largest mortgage servicers — including Bank of America and Wells Fargo – to much-smaller providers in the program. For a list of servicers who are participating, check http://keepyourhomecalifornia.org/servicer.htm. Please note that your servicer must be participating for you to obtain benefits from this program. If your servicer is not participating, please check back as we are consistently updating our list – you may also contact your servicer to see when they will be joining the program.
We encourage homeowners facing foreclosure to check www.KeepYourHomeCalifornia.org, which answers many questions about the program, including the first steps of determining eligibility. The website details income levels – because low or moderate income levels vary based on where you live ($75,000 in Contra Costa County doesn’t go nearly as far as in Fresno County) – and outlines the four programs, from getting cash-strapped consumers current on their mortgage payments to helping the jobless remain in their homes. And some homeowners are eligible for multiple programs, and tens of thousands of dollars.
Homeowners also can call Keep Your Home California representatives Monday through Saturday at 888-954-KEEP (5337). Representatives can answer questions and walk homeowners through the process, determining if they are eligible. You will need some uninterrupted time for the call.
If you are serious about avoiding foreclosure – and keeping your home – start doing the homework and take the next step. Check the site, call the toll-free number and make the commitment to avoiding foreclosure.
