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The term "housing crisis" has sadly become a part of the vernacular of millions of homeowners in recent years. The precipitous decline in home values has left many, usually through no fault of their own, underwater on their loans. Simply place, if an individual owes more on his residence than it really is worth, he is underwater.

The House Inexpensive Refinance Program (HARP) was created by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Improvement in addition to the Treasury Division in March 2009. A single of the primary objectives of HARP is to enable underwater homeowners who're present on their mortgage to refinance at today's low prices.

Initial, a little about loan-to-value (LTV) ratios. LTV is really a comparison in between the worth of the home and also the quantity of your loan. To illustrate, if a home has a market value of $100,000 and the mortgage on that home can also be $100,000, the LTV is 100 percent. The value of the home is equal to what is owed on the house.

Nonetheless, lenders will normally need home buyers, or these refinancing properties, to possess LTV's of 80 percent or significantly less. Using the previous example, since the mortgage around the home shouldn't exceed 80 percent, the lender, in the absence of extenuating circumstance, is unlikely to approve a loan of more than $80,000.

An underwater loan is a single with an LTV above 100 percent. If that exact same $100,000 house features a mortgage of $120,000, the LTV is 120 percent. Needless to say, a homeowner in this circumstance would typically have a difficult time refinancing to take advantage of interests rates that remain at, or close to, all time lows.

That's where HARP comes in. Simply because HARP loans are backed by the federal government, lenders have greater flexibility to help folks who, primarily based on their LTV, would otherwise not have the ability to refinance their residence.

To qualify for a HARP loan, buyers need to meet specific specifications.

Your loan should be backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (which own or assure almost half of all U.S. mortgages and 90 percent of new ones), and your current mortgage must have a securitization date before June 1, 2009.

You must happen to be timely in creating your mortgage payments.If your LTV is 115 percent or less, you cannot happen to be 30 days late or a lot more inside the final 12 months, and if it really is greater than 115 percent, you can't happen to be 30 days late or a lot more inside the last 24 months.

Finally, you must be able to officially document your household revenue to qualify for the new loan and payment. Most homeowners who qualify for the refinancing program will realize a significant reduction in their monthly mortgage outlay.

HARP has offered many homeowners a new lease on life. As a direct lender and committed companion in the program, Prospect Mortgage offers selection, convenience, and handle throughout the loan method. If you feel you might advantage from a HARP refinancing, please make contact with Prospect Mortgage today.

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HARP

Who owns my mortgage loan