Bank of America Announces New Pilot Program

April 4th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

Last month, Bank of America announced a pilot program that will provide some distressed property homeowners with a new foreclosure alternative. This new “Mortgage to Lease” program will allow homeowners facing foreclosure to remain in their homes by converting from home ownership to rental. In this program, participating homeowners will transfer their home titles to [...]

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UPDATE: New Requirement for Bank of America Short Sales

March 22nd, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

ATTENTION Agents! In October’s CDPE Industry Broadcast with Bob Hora, SVP Mortgage Servicing Executive at Bank of America Home Loans, Hora affirmed Bank of America’s commitment to streamlining their short sale process. In keeping with this commitment, Bank of America is simplifying their third-party authorization process for short sales. On March 20, Bank of America [...]

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Lenders Providing Large Cash Incentives to Homeowners for Short Sales

February 26th, 2012 in CDPE by cdpe

For awhile now, we’ve instructed agents on government incentives available to distressed homeowners who opt to do short sales. Such programs include the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program, which provides up to $3,000 to assist the borrower with relocation fees. In recent news, major publications including USA TODAY and CNNMoney have spotlighted the incentives [...]

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Obama Proposes Mortgage Refinancing Plan to Aid Millions of Homeowners

February 14th, 2012 in CDPE by cdpe

The Obama administration announced its latest plan to help troubled homeowners, enabling an estimated 3.5 million underwater mortgage holders to refinance at today’s historically-low interest rates. However, experts speculate the proposal—which is expected to cost up to $10 billion and would be paid for by imposing a fee on major banks—could have a difficult time [...]

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U.S. Government Settles with Banks on Robo-Signing Scandal

February 10th, 2012 in CDPE by cdpe

Yesterday, the Justice Department and 49 out of 50 state Attorneys General announced a settlement agreement with 5 of the nation’s largest banks in the Robo-signing and Mortgage Service Fraud scandal that first came to light in late 2010. The settlement, worth $25 billion dollars, was the largest government negotiated industry settlement since the Tobacco [...]

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Rescue Script to Uncover Distressed Property Leads

February 3rd, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

Current studies show that over 6 million homeowners in the country are potentially facing foreclosure. However, initiating the conversation to find out if a homeowner needs your services can sometimes be uncomfortable or even offensive.  That’s why we have a refined a script that works well in any situation, whether you are on the phone [...]

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Mortgage Modification Scams Rampant in 2011

January 19th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

Mortgage modification scams made the list of the Better Business Bureau’s Top Scams of 2011, with more than 20,000 complaints. Sadly, there are countless organizations out there preying on desperate homeowners. That’s why trained, qualified real estate agents are needed now more than ever. The nationwide network of more than 35,000 CDPE-designated agents has helped [...]

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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, [...]

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Freddie Mac Announces Up to 12-Month Forbearance for Unemployed

January 12th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

Effective Feb. 1, Freddie Mac is giving mortgage servicers expanded authority to provide six months of forbearance to unemployed mortgage holders without prior approval, and an additional six months (12 months total) with prior approval. This new policy essentially doubles the previously offered forbearance period. It’s important to note: This applies to Freddie Mac-owned or [...]

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Where is the Real Estate Market Headed in 2012?

January 10th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by cdpe

On Thursday, Veros Real Estate Solutions released its VeroFORECAST real estate market forecast for the 12-month period ending Dec. 1, 2012. Their findings indicate “the national housing recovery will continue to be gradual and slow without any significant changes in markets.” Veros predicts up to four percent appreciation in the strongest markets, including Fargo and [...]

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Federal Reserve Recommends Short Sales Among Solutions to Housing Crisis

January 6th, 2012 in Alex Charfen by Alex Charfen

On Jan. 4, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sent a letter and white paper to Congress outlining his insights and recommendations on restoring the health of the U.S. housing market. Among the key findings on current market conditions: Housing prices remain 33% below their early 2006 peak Currently, 1 in 5 mortgage holders are underwater [...]

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Three Surefire Strategies to Multiply Your Short Sale Listings in 2012

January 3rd, 2012 in CDPE by cdpe

With 1 in 10 homeowners not paying their mortgage—and Major Lenders predicting huge increases in short sale closings in 2012—savvy agents are finding new and creative ways to find and attract distressed property listings. A great place to start your outreach campaign is a list of NODs. Notices of Default, or NODs, are legal notices [...]

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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 [...]

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Alex Charfen to Appear on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street Tomorrow

May 12th, 2011 in CIAS by cdpe

Tune in tomorrow at 10:45 am EDT to catch our CEO Alex Charfen live on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street. He’ll be discussing home ownership in America and the incredible opportunities for investors in today’s market.

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Live CDPE Broadcast: Treasury Speaks About HAFA, Housing

February 14th, 2011 in CDPE by cdpe

SPECIAL REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY BROADCAST Exclusive Interview with the US Treasury’s Director of Policy for Homeownership Preservation Office, Laurie Maggiano! You and the Treasury Department Have the Same Goal … to Close More Short Sales in 2011! Join us for an exclusive interview with Laurie Maggiano, Director of Policy in the Office of Homeownership Preservation, [...]

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