Of All The Brand New Mortgage Rules, This One Is Our Favorite
In a nutshell, it's what happens when one arm of a lender works with a borrower to modify their mortgage, while a completely different arm pushes through paperwork to have them foreclosed simultaneously.
Imagine getting kicked out of your house one day, then getting a letter in the mail congratulating you on your shiny new mortgage rate a month later.
It's no fun, and finally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is making good on its promise to keep it from happening again.
The agency rolled out a host of new rules Thursday that will change the way lenders deal with borrowers.
Here's our favorite:
Restricted Dual-Tracking: Servicers must not make the first notice or filing required for the foreclosure process until a mortgage loan account is more than 120 days delinquent. This will give borrowers reasonable time to submit modification applications. Servicers must not start a foreclosure proceeding if an application is pending for a loan modification or other alternative to foreclosure.
For borrowers like Minnesota resident Carrie Haskamp, the change is too little too late, but it will undoubtedly make a difference for struggling homeowners down the line.
You can read a full list of the new mortgage servicing rules here.
Here are the Cliff's Notes:
-When borrowers miss two payments, lenders must inform them of what actions they can take to get back on track.-Lenders have to make sure borrowers have direct and easy access to the humans handling their paperwork.-Lenders can't foreclose on homeowners willy nilly. They have to consider all foreclosure alternatives first.-Lenders have to reply to mortgage modification applications at least 37 days before they plan on selling the home at auction.-Clear mortgage statements-Fair warning before lenders mess with interest rates for adjustable-rate mortgages -Notify homeowners before they force them to purchase costly property insurance -Lenders must credit mortgage payments the same day they're paid-Lenders must correct any account errors within 30 days, or at least investigate.
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