tiistai 29. marraskuuta 2011

HUD Reverse Mortgages, Has The Widow Spouse To Pay The Loan

Do you belong to the group, who has HUD reverse mortgages, but whos name is not in the title nor who has not signed the agreement? What if your spouse will pass away and you have to pay the whole outstanding balance?

It is generally known, that the HUD reverse mortgages claim in their terms, that the borrower has never to use his or her other assets to pay back the reverse loan. That the home selling price and the reverse mortgage insurance will cover the whole loan amount, always.

However, there are three widows of the borrowers, who were forced to do this. With the heavily decreased home prices this is a tough job. So to prevent the foreclosure these three widows decided to sue HUD, The Department Of Housing And Urban Development. What happened?

These widows claim that HUD changed in 2008 the old rule, which said that the borrower should never pay more than the value of the home and if this does not cover the whole amount, the missing part will be paid from the obligatory mortgage insurance. Sounds clear.

But according to the new HUD practice, they claim that the spouse has to pay the whole outstanding loan balance, if he or she wants to keep the property. This is tough, if the home price is lower than the total amount of the loan capital, accrued interests and all the accrued costs.

1. The Names In The Title And Loan Agreement Matter.

The system is very clear. The borrowers are those seniors, who have signed the agreements of the HUD reverse mortgages. When the last borrower will pass away, will move permanently to another location or will sell the property, the home will be sold and the selling price will be used to pay back all the money, which is owed to the lender. The remaining part belongs to the borrower or to the heirs. If the heirs want to keep the property, they have to pay away the owed amounts to the lender.

2. The Widows Wanted To Keep The Home.

The widows in question wanted to keep the homes, which was impossible because the home prices were decreased below the amount owed and they were unable to get the funding to finance the deals. The American Association Of Retired Persons Foundation claims that the HUD rule change was made in secret and they also said, that the HECM program follows the consumer protection practice, where the term homeowner includes the spouse.

3. If A New Buyer Will Buy The Property, It Will Be Sold At The Market Price.

Think about this. If a widow spouse wants to buy the property, he has to pay all the owed amounts to the lender, which will exceed the home present value. But if the outsider will buy the property when it will be sold, he or she will get it at a lower price. This cannot be fair according to The American Association Of Retired Persons .

4. In July 2011 The Court Made A Decision.

Actually HUD won this case, which is natural, but not so human. However, if we remember the basic reverse mortgage agreement, the decision followed the principles. The problem was, how to keep the old homes with a current market price. The answer is simple. The spouses could have bought the homes, when the lenders were selling them. They could have done this by using the reverse mortgages, because there were a lot of equity left. Maybe The American Association Of Retired Persons just tested the system and tried to change it to become more consumer friendly.

Juhani Tontti, B.Sc., Has Written A Lot About The Features Of The HUD Reverse Mortgages And Other Topics Concerning The Reverse Mortgages To Help Seniors To Get The Full Picture. Visit: Reverse Mortgage

The 3 Rare Features Of The Reverse Mortgages

Have you ever thought, how simple solutions the reverse mortgages offer? Have you ever doubted, that they may be more complicated products, than what you first thought? Read about the rare features, which the reverse mortgages include.

The reverse mortgages are meant for the American seniors 62 and over, who own their homes, where they live permanently. These people need more disposable money and the home equity is in many cases the only source. They are often called the cash poor but equity rich people.

The reverse mortgages are always taken against the equity of the home and the only obligation, which the borrower or borrowers have is to keep the property in a good shape and to pay the taxes and insurances. There is no back payments during the loan running time. On the contrary the lender will pay to the borrower according to the instructions, he has got.

The loan capital, the accrued interests and all the costs will be unpaid as long as the borrower does not sell the home, move away permanently or pass away. If this happens the property will be sold and the capital, accrued interests and all the costs will be paid using the selling price, or if this does not cover the whole sum, the obligatory mortgage insurance will pay the missing part.

1. Who`s Name Will Be In The Title?

If a couple takes the reverse mortgage it matters, whether they put only one name into the title. If this one, the borrower, will pass away, the property will be sold, which will cut the running time. But if the couple puts both names into the title, the running time will end, when the last one will pass away, for instance.

Actually three seniors can be borrowers, but all must fulfil the qualifications. When the age of the borrower influences on the loan amount, the lender uses the age of the youngest borrower. On the other hand, the older the borrower, the more he or she can get, so the borrowers must think thoroughly, what they want. If the borrowers want to maximize the loan amount, then the oldest one should become the borrower alone, but if they minimize the risk, then the group members can be the borrowers.

2. When The Loan Is Signed, The Borrowers Cannot Change The Names In The Title.

This means, that this topic must be decided before the seniors sign anything. Seniors have to remember, that the consumer protection laws protect only the homeowners and the borrowers. The change of the law is right now pending.

3. Make A List About All The Costs Involved.

The reverse mortgages include several costs. It is a temptation not to calculate these, because the reverse loan seems to be money from the thin air, because there is no back payments during the running time of the loan. For instance the origination fee is 2 % for the first $ 200.000 plus 1 % of the value above 200.000.

The mortgage insurance is mandatory and will cover the part of the costs, which exceeds the home selling price. Note, that the borrower, or the heirs, has never to pay the reverse loan from their other assets. A big choice is to select between the fixed and variable interest rates, because the accrued interests form a big part of the costs.

Juhani Tontti, B.Sc., Is And Expert Author, Who Shares Professional Level Tips About The Reverse Mortgages With The Target To Help The Reverse Mortgage Borrowers To Make Good Decisions. Visit: Reverse Mortgage Loans

tiistai 22. marraskuuta 2011

5 Facts How The Reverse Mortgage Lending Is Changing

Have you noticed, that the reverse mortgage lending is changing and the market is waiting how? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will follow up the actions from the future study concerning the reverse mortgage lending.

The need for a new office and new rules comes from the fact, that this industry includes a lot of scam artists, which do not follow any good practices. They utilize the fact, that the reverse loans are complicated products and many seniors do not understand, what they sign.

1. What Is The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

It is a Federal Agency, which operates under Dodd-Frank and works against the predatory practices and other abuses in the reverse mortgage industry. Earlier these tasks were split between seven different agencies. The main focus is to protect senior people from the predatory practices by the rulemaking and enforcement authority in the banking and security industries, where the senior people have lost their homes.

2. What IsThe Office Of Older Americans?

That will be formed by the end of January 2012. The target is to focus on the financial products and the deceptive practices, which concern the older Americans. The office will develop, implement and evaluate the programs of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

3. The Study Will Be Done.

The Office Of Older Americans will conduct a study about the reverse mortgage lending before july 21 2012. The study tries to identify all unfair practices in the origination of the reverse mortgage lending to protect borrower seniors. It also tries to find out, whether the financial product fits to the circumstances of the seniors.

4. The Results Of The Study.

The study may lead to the new legislation and the removal of many unfair practices, which will be found out. It may touch practices, when the reverse mortgage fits to a senior. It may also touch the cases, when the reverse loan funding is used for the investments. Th earliest time, when the new rules will be effective is late 2012, which means, that the lenders have a lot of time for comments and for the change of their practices.

5. This All Will Improve The Image Of The Industry.

The fact is, that the reverse mortgage industry still include scam artists, whos only target is to milk the seniors. The new legislation and the study will improve the marketing circumstances a lot, which will strenghten the brand image of the reverse mortgage industry.

The reverse loans are financial products, which include a lot of alternatives and details, which make the understanding difficult. The new legislation will help seniors, because new things will be conducted by the law. The products become safer. However, it is sure, that the industry will develop new approaches, which again require new legislation.

Juhani Tontti, B.Sc., Marketing. The Office Of The Older Americans Will Follow, How The Reverse Mortgage Lending Will Develop. The Target Is To Protect The Reverse Mortgage Borrowers From The Scam Artists. Visit: Reverse Mortgages