Fannie Follows Freddie’s Lead in Extending Forbearance Period for Unemployed

January 17th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

Fannie Mae revealed its new Unemployment Forbearance Program, which mortgage servicers are required to implement by March 1 for all Fannie Mae-owned and backed loans. Servicers can now provide up to six months of relief for eligible unemployed borrowers without Fannie’s review and approval. Borrowers may also apply for an additional six months of forbearance, [...]

Read More..

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Announce an “Eviction Moratorium” for the Holidays

December 19th, 2011 in CDPE by cdpe

The holiday season should be a magical time of year. However, for a growing number of families, the usual holiday celebrations are trumped by financial troubles, foreclosure and the looming threat of eviction. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offered some relief to such families by announcing an “Eviction Moratorium” through January 2, 2012. During this [...]

Read More..

Presidential Candidates Blasted for Views on Housing

November 16th, 2011 in CDPE by cdpe

  (Photo courtesy of IowaPolitics.com) In a recent blog post, CNBC’s Diana Olick slams the Republican presidential candidates’ plans for solving the nation’s housing crisis. Political beliefs aside, Olick makes some astute observations regarding the bank’s preferences for short sales over foreclosures and the important role that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play in keeping [...]

Read More..

Another Prediction Come True: Holiday Foreclosure Freeze

December 5th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe

With all the noise surrounding the “robo-signing scandal” and subsequent foreclosure freeze, it may have taken some by surprise that the banks would issue another “freeze” on their foreclosure processes. But as we predicted, the major banks — as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — will postpone their foreclosure procedures from Dec 20-Jan [...]

Read More..

The short sale debate on CNBC …

October 25th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe

concluded with a consensus that homeowners having difficulty paying their mortgages should contact an educated real estate agent. However, CEO Alex Charfen had to combat another guest’s misinformation on short sales and hopelessness about the market to get there. Following is a response from Alex, as well as a recording of the segment on CNBC: [...]

Read More..

The difference between judicial and non-judicial states …

October 23rd, 2010 in In The Media by cdpe

is relatively simple, but an important and often misunderstood part of the foreclosure process. We’re encountering a lot of confusion among agents and homeowners about this issue, so here’s some clarification. Judicial A “judicial” state requires a judicial review of the foreclosure case before it can be officially processed. The foreclosure process actually begins by [...]

Read More..

GSE Short Sale Volume Up More Than 150 Percent

September 10th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe

A few months ago, we posted that Freddie Mac reported its short sale volume was up 600%. Today, REOInsider reported that “short sale volume is up more than 150% from volume in 2Q09, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s second quarter government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) ‘Foreclosure Prevention & Refinance Report.’” We weren’t surprised at the [...]

Read More..

Warning to Servicers: Fannie Mae is Watching for Delays

September 3rd, 2010 in Industry by cdpe

Fannie Mae has put loan servicers on notice: take too long to complete foreclosures and you could face fines. Through a recent announcement, the government-sponsored enterprise has created timeframes for completing foreclosure proceedings (see their foreclosure timeframes for more information on a state-by-state basis). For servicers unable to provide a reasonable explanation for delaying proceedings, [...]

Read More..

No Surprise to CDPEs: Freddie Mac Short Sales up 600%

June 29th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe

It didn’t take an official statement from Freddie Mac’s CEO to convince CDPEs — the agents helping distressed homeowners on a daily basis — that short sales have increased dramatically across the country. However, the number was still impressive and makes a big statement on a movement within the real estate industry to provide real [...]

Read More..

Fannie Mae Says “Don’t Walk Away”

June 24th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe

Strategic defaults are anything but strategic for distressed homeowners today. The Distressed Property Institute and CEO Alex Charfen, author of the CDPE, have stood against this practice from the very beginning. Now Fannie Mae has intensified penalties for those who “strategically default” on their mortgages, stating: “… defaulting borrowers who walk away and had the [...]

Read More..

Worth the Wait! Fannie & Freddie HAFA Programs

June 2nd, 2010 in Distressed Property Institute by cdpe

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac just announced the introduction of their own HAFA programs. They’re both scheduled to be implemented by August 1, 2010, and the programs are very similar to HAFA in that they simplify and streamline the use of short sales and deed-in-lieu (DIL) options and use similar forms and timelines. In addition, [...]

Read More..

Understanding the American Dream, and how it’s changed.

April 12th, 2010 in Distressed Property Institute by cdpe

RealtyTrac posted a DSNews article last week that maintains the majority of Americans still have a positive sentiment about homeownership, despite being adversely affected by the current foreclosure crisis. The article cites the Fannie Mae National Housing Survey which also reveals that 70 percent who are delinquent on their own mortgages, said walking away from [...]

Read More..