Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the two federally-backed agencies that are responsible for the large majority of mortgages in the United States. Congress and the White House are now at odds as to how to deal with these financially ravished, federally-backed agencies.

Steps need to be taken to reform the mortgage business. There has to be greater consumer protection for prospective homeowners. Changes must be made regarding how the mortgage servicing industry deals with prospective homeowners. Mortgage companies must work with borrowers who unfortunately fall behind on their mortgage payments. Action must also be taken to deal with the bundling of loans for sale to investors. These loan bundling schemes were a significant part of the current mortgage crisis.

Democrats and Republicans Both Agree and Disagree

Democrats and Republicans both agree that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should not continue to exist. The problem is Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on what should replace them. Both the Democrats and Republicans want the private market place to assume the responsibility currently maintained by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The actual setup of the new organizations is the subject of spirited debate between the two parties in Congress, as well as within the Obama Administration.

Fannie Mae And Freddie MacForeclosure Defense Lawyers in New York

If you have problems with a mortgage modification, we can help you. If you have difficulties dealing with mortgage modification programs that fail to approve your application, we are the lawyers for you. Should you be the subject of a foreclosure lawsuit, we are the lawyers for you. We litigate foreclosure proceedings. We provide foreclosure defense for our clients. We maintain a foreclosure blog to educate our clients and homeowners throughout the Metropolitan New York area with regard to their rights in foreclosure proceedings.

We litigate defective mortgages, predatory lending issues, defective foreclosure lawsuits, bad faith and other related real estate issues. We also assist our clients in filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies.

We meet with our clients, we review all of the financial documents related to their mortgage and loan modification and we set up a plan to help keep them in their homes. Feel free to call us at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802. We can help you!!

Foreclosures Represent 12.5% of all Real Estate Sales on Long Island

Real Estate Sales On Long IslandIn 2009, there were 2,836 foreclosure sales of homes on Long Island. This represented 10.7% of all sales of single-family homes on Long Island. In 2010, there were 2,571 homes sold related to foreclosure proceedings on Long Island. Even though the number of homes sold in foreclosure was less in 2010 than the prior year, the percentage of real estate transactions on Long Island related to foreclosure sales grew in 2010.

Foreclosure Home Sales Dominate the Real Estate Market in the U.S.

In 2010, 25% of all home sales throughout the United States were the result of foreclosure proceedings. It is anticipated that the percentage of home sales related to foreclosure proceedings will increase in the year 2011. It is expected that foreclosure sales will increase in 2011 because lenders are getting their act together with regard to providing their attorneys with the appropriate paper work to facilitate foreclosure proceedings through the courts.

John Fitzgerald, a real estate broker in Hauppauge, New York, whose business focuses on foreclosure transactions, stated that he has been told by lenders in New York to “get ready because there are properties coming” with regard to increased foreclosure activity on Long Island.

Foreclosure Defense on Long Island and the Five Boroughs of NYC

Should you find your house in foreclosure, we can help you. We’ll assist you in obtaining a mortgage modification. If you don’t qualify for a mortgage modification and you are sued in a foreclosure proceeding, we can represent you in court.

We will see to it that your rights are protected. We are experienced in dealing with mortgage modification programs that fail to provide the homeowner with the promised relief. We maintain a foreclosure blog to educate our clients and the general public with regard to the foreclosure crisis in the United States.

When foreclosure ensues, we attend foreclosure court conferences on behalf of our clients. We litigate defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending issues, bad faith on behalf of financial institutions and defective mortgages.

Our law office has been handling real estate litigation for more than three decades. Should a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy be appropriate to deal with your financial situation, we will discuss this issue with you and assist you in filing bankruptcy, if necessary. The filing of bankruptcy will stop foreclosure proceedings from moving forward and in some situations eliminate the security interest created by second mortgages. We can also assist you in reestablishing your credit after you have been discharged in bankruptcy.

Feel free to call us at your earliest convenience at 516-561-6645, 718-350-2802 or 1-800-344-6431. Our phones are monitored 24/7.

Mortgage Delinquencies Declined

Mortgage Delinquencies DeclinedDuring the past few months, there has been a reduction in the number of mortgages becoming delinquent. In the third quarter of 2010, the mortgage delinquency rate fell from 14.42% to 13.52%, according to the Mortgage Banker’s Association.

There are several explanations for a decline in mortgage delinquency rates. One explanation is that the economy is improving and this is having a positive effect on home owners ability to make mortgage payments.

Delinquencies and Foreclosures above Normal

The good news is that mortgage delinquency rates and the number of foreclosures is starting to go down. The bad news is that mortgage foreclosure rates and mortgage delinquencies are extremely high by historical standards.

It is thought that one of the reasons why foreclosure rates are starting to decline is that the new foreclosures in 2011 are not being caused by bad bank loans. Many of the foreclosures in 2009 and 2010 were caused by banking practices that provided mortgage loans to individuals who didn’t qualify. Most of the new foreclosures are related to prime loans. These loans are much harder for banks to modify than sub-prime loans. Prime loans are given out at low interest rates to start with.

The number of home owners obtaining mortgage modifications has also been decreasing. Twenty-four thousand homeowners throughout the United States obtained mortgage modifications in October of 2010. Hopefully, we will see a continuation of the reduction of mortgages that are delinquent and foreclosure rate will continue to decline.

Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County Mortgage Modification and Foreclosure Defense Lawyers

Our office can assist you with mortgage modifications. If you are sued in foreclosure, we will aggressively represent you and stop the foreclosure in its tracks.

We litigate bad faith bank practices, defective foreclosure lawsuits, predatory lending issues and fraudulent mortgages. We attend foreclosure conferences in court on behalf of our clients. We also deal with problems caused by mortgage modification programs that do not work. We will analyze your financial situation to see if filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the appropriate remedy for your difficulties.

Feel free to call us at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802 for a free consultation.

The Real Estate Market

The Real Estate MarketFor the past few years, home prices in the large majority of the United States have been falling. I am happy to report that in an article recently published by the National Association of Realtors, it showed that in seventy-eight markets throughout the United States, representing most major metropolitan areas, housing prices have started to stabilize. Stabilization of the housing market is good news. However, stabilization is indicative of the slowing of the downward valuation of homes and not their increasing in value.

Buyers’ Market

We still have a buyers’ market for single family homes. Sellers are reluctant to commit to buying homes when home values are decreasing. Perspective home purchasers are always looking for bargains. Will housing prices continue to go down or will they rebound? No one can be absolutely sure as to when the housing market will hit its absolute bottom.

Is this a Good Time for Selling?

Are you interested in selling your home? Many prospective home sellers have kept their homes off the market with the hope that there would be a rebound in the housing market in the United States. The stabilization of the real estate market should not be considered a rebound. However, there is no guarantee homes will be worth more in the near future.

Location, Location, Location

There are three rules concerning the valuation of real estate. Those three rules are known as “location, location, location”. The valuation of real estate is a local issue. The market value of homes and commercial real estate changes from state to state, city to city, suburb to suburb and locale to locale. It could even be different from one block to the next in the same neighborhood. It behooves you if you are a purchaser to use due diligence and to become familiar with the area in which you seek to purchase a home.

The Improving Economy

Although the real estate market has been stabilizing, we are still in a recession. Will the rising stock market bring back the real estate market with it? I am hopeful, but I am also concerned that the problems in the real estate market in the United States are so severe that it may take several more years to sort this out.

house1Foreclosure Defense Lawyers in Long Island and New York

Our office assists our clients with mortgage modification applications. We are knowledgeable about the mortgage modification programs and why they fail. We maintain a foreclosure blog to update the public concerning various issues involving homes and real estate. We aggressively litigate foreclosure proceedings. We litigate defective mortgage lawsuits, predatory lending and we attend court conferences for our clients when necessary. We advise our clients with regard whether they should file a bankruptcy to deal with being behind on their mortgage and as to whether a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy would be appropriate. In the event you are behind on your mortgage or experiencing foreclosure problems, we can help you. Call us at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718- 350-2802.

Mortgage Modifications and Bad Faith

Mortgage Modifications And Bad FaithBad faith in mortgage modifications is exhibited by financial institutions in several ways. Under pressure from President Obama, banks agreed to set up mortgage modification programs. The federal government gave the banks billions of dollars in “TARP” money. Thereafter the banks agreed to help homeowners obtain mortgage modifications. Instead of helping the homeowners, the banks set up under-funded, poorly conceived and poorly managed modification programs. The failure of the banks to fulfill their obligations under the mortgage modifications programs can be considered bad faith.

Another example of bad faith by financial institutions is when they grant a homeowner a trial mortgage modification for three months. Thereafter, the homeowner pays, on time, the modified amount for three months. When the banks don’t notify the homeowner to stop paying, the homeowner continues to pay the modified mortgage amount for as long as a year. Thereafter, the bank either tells the homeowner that they have been rejected for a permanent loan modification or that they are approved for a permanent mortgage modification, but on much more onerous terms.

Yet another bad practice by the banks is, after the homeowner has made numerous on time payments under a temporary mortgage modification program, they tell the homeowner they don’t qualify for the permanent program. In these situations, the banks are operating under bad faith!

Foreclosure Defense and Mortgage Modifications

Should you be sued in a foreclosure proceeding, we will appear in court for you. We will attend foreclosure conferences. We will make the courts aware that the mortgage modifications stall because they are poorly administrated. We litigate issues involving defective foreclosure lawsuits, defective mortgages and predatory lending issues as part as our overall foreclosure defense of our clients. Our office has been handling real estate related litigation for more than 45 years.

By meeting with our attorneys, we will analyze your financial situation and provide you with a road map as to how to deal with these difficulties. Should filing a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy be appropriate, we will also represent you regarding these proceedings. Feel free to call us at your earliest convenience should you have any questions at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802.

Higher Mortgage Rates and Stricter Mortgage Procedures likely for 2011

Low Mortgage Rates

In the year 2010, mortgage rates were extremely low. They were the lowest they have ever been in the past forty years. It is likely that there will be an upward trend of mortgage rates in the year 2011. As the economy starts to improve, consumer spending will increase and the public’s confidence in our economy will be a factor in the Federal Reserve raising interest rates.

Prospective Home Buyers

If you are a prospective home buyer, you will still be able to obtain an inexpensive mortgage in 2011. Although rates may go up, they are so incredibly low right now that even if they increase in 2011, by historical standards, the rates will still be very reasonable.

Prospective home owners should be aware that the procedures to obtain a new mortgage have been tightened in the past few years. Financial institutions are investigating the information provided by prospective home buyers. The financial institutions are conducting due diligence to a higher degree than existed before.

Mortgage ModificationMortgage Modification

Should you, a friend or a loved one require a mortgage modification, we can help. When homes go into foreclosure, we provide foreclosure defense for our clients. We attend foreclosure conferences. We litigate defective foreclosure lawsuits, bad faith on behalf of financial institutions and predatory lending practices. We also analyze our clients financial situations and advise them as to whether filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy would be appropriate. Feel free to call us at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802 for a free consultation.

Bank Complaints Soar

Bank Complaints SoarComplaints by consumers and homeowners against banks are rising to a stratospheric level. It has been suggested that new laws and regulations need to be put in place to reign in inappropriate bank practices.

The controller of the currency recently stated that he is receiving a record number of complaints against the more than 1500 banks subject to regulation. It is estimated that there were more than 80,000 complaints against banks in the year 2010.

The Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Company have recently issued specific regulations and guidelines to deal with the numerous complaints filed against banks.

Complaints About Mortgage Foreclosures

The majority of the complaints against banks have dealt with various problems encountered by homeowners in mortgage foreclosure proceedings. There were more than 36,000 complaints filed against banks in 2010 dealing with mortgage foreclosure issues. Banks are fighting numerous lawsuits throughout the country and are being investigated by all fifty state Attorney Generals concerning their practices involving foreclosure proceedings.

Prior to the financial melt down, most bank complaints dealt with credit card issues. The reason why banks are receiving so many complaints is that they have been involved in faulty practices. They have engaged in predatory lending. They have set up mortgage modification programs that simply do not work.

The American consumer deserves better. Consumers do not deserve to be left hanging for months and months at a time without getting any feedback on their mortgage modification applications. Consumers deserve to be updated regarding the status of their applications for mortgage modifications. They should not be forced to call week after week and continually get incorrect information or deal with nincompoops at the other end of the phone who have no knowledge of what is going on. If banks and financial institutions are serious about mortgage modifications they should help consumers instead of frustrating and angering them.

mortgage1Helping Homeowners with Foreclosure Defense

Our law firm has been helping homeowners with foreclosure defense issues for more than 45 years. We understand the frustrations and anger homeowners feel regarding their mortgage modification applications not being attended to. We are foreclosure defense lawyers. We deal with predatory lending, bad faith issues, defective mortgages and all aspects of mortgage foreclosure proceedings. We represent our clients in court and we attend foreclosure court conferences. We effectively tie up our client’s foreclosure cases in court and put pressure on the financial institutions to provide them with reasonable, acceptable, affordable mortgage modifications. When the situation calls for it, we file either Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 Bankruptcies for our clients. We keep our clients in their homes. We stop foreclosures cold! Call us for a free consultation at 1-800-344-6431; 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802.

Home Modification Problems in California (Part 2): Lawyers Who Assist Homeowners in Mortgage Modifications Are Now out of Reach

Homeowners In MortgageProblems with Bank Mortgage Practices

There have been recent revelations regarding numerous financial institutions that have been involved in deceptive mortgage practices, predatory lending practices, defective mortgages and bad faith litigation, as well as litigating cases where they did not have the appropriate paperwork. This makes the need for attorneys to represent homeowners very important. Homeowners in California are now defenseless in dealing with the law firms that represent financial institutions in foreclosures, as well as the “robo-signers” at the banks, who could care less about State and Federal laws that protect homeowners from improper bank practices. The actions taken by the legislature in California hurt homeowners and will destroy families.

When a homeowner in California gets notice that they are going to lose their home, they no longer have the ability to obtain a seasoned, experienced foreclosure defense lawyer to protect them and their families from being thrown out of their homes because of foreclosure lawsuits.

More then 300,000 foreclosure lawsuits were started in California alone during the 2010 calendar year. It is estimated that in 2011 the amount of foreclosures in California will surpass the 2010 number.

New York Foreclosure Defense

Fortunately, homeowners in New York do not have to deal with the restrictive statute that exists in California. Our law firm has been representing homeowners and consumers dealing with financial problems and mortgage foreclosures brought by banks for more than 45 years. We litigate foreclosure defense lawsuits. We file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies on behalf of our clients to stop foreclosure proceedings. When necessary, we attend, on our client’s behalf, foreclosure court conferences. We litigate defective mortgages, defective foreclosure lawsuits and predatory lending issues. We also bring to the court’s attention fraudulent activities that mortgage brokers, financial institutions and appraisers engaged in during the mortgage underwriting process.

We can keep you in your home! Call us for a free consultation at 1-800-344- 6431; 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802.

Home Modification Problems in California (Part 1): Lawyers who Assist Homeowners in Mortgage Modifications Are Now Out of Reach

Mortgage Modifications Are Now Out Of ReachThe Ridiculous Law in California

The State of California has more active foreclosure cases than any other state in the country. Homeowners in California who seek mortgage modifications have had difficulties for the past few years. Today, they have a new difficulty – they can no longer hire lawyers!

Lawyers throughout the State of California are now being forced to reject clients who come to them for the purpose of obtaining mortgage modification loans. This is because California has passed a unique, unusual and restrictive statute. The new law states that attorneys who work on mortgage modification loans can receive no payment until the loan is approved. Under the new statute, clients cannot even put retainer payments in attorney trust accounts.

This California statute is unlike any other statute in the country. The intent of the California statute is for “fly-by-night” loan modification businesses run by non lawyers to be eliminated from the marketplace. Unfortunately, there has been a fallout from this new statute. The unintended consequence of the new law is that honest, hard-working, well-known, well-established attorneys with excellent credentials can no longer represent individuals in dealing with financial institutions’ complicated and burdensome paperwork related to loan modifications.

avoidNew York Foreclosure Defense Lawyers

In the state of New York, there are no restrictions regarding the hiring of foreclosure defense attorneys. For more than 45 years, the Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo has been at the forefront of defending consumers and homeowners regarding litigation with financial institutions. We have developed an expertise in defending foreclosure lawsuits. Upon meeting with our attorneys, we will analyze the paperwork related to your case. We will discuss foreclosure defenses, mortgage modifications and the potential of using bankruptcy filings to assist you. We will provide you with a detailed explanation as to the foreclosure process, the mortgage modification process and how bankruptcies affect homeowners. If you are in trouble with your lender, or behind on your mortgage, call us. We can help you! Our phone numbers are 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 and 718-350-2082.

Solution to the Mortgage Crisis: Make Home Loan Modifications Mandatory

Make Home Loan Modifications MandatoryCongress should pass a law forcing financial institutions to make mandatory home modifications to deserving homeowners. Unfortunately, the banking industry has a lot of friends in Congress and it is very unlikely a bill of this nature would be passed by Congress.

Sub Prime Loans

Many of the loans given by financial institutions were called “sub-prime loans”. The sub-prime loans basically duped prospective homeowners into believing that they could afford to buy homes that were, without question, out of their financial reach. Many of the subprime loans had initially interest only payments that increased to include principal over time.

Since the homeowner could barely afford the mortgage-only payment when the mortgage amount increased to include interest or a balloon payment became due, they had no possibility of making these payments.

New Bankruptcy Law in New York

On January 22, 2010, a new bankruptcy statute went into effect in New York State. This allowed individuals filing bankruptcies to keep up to $150,000 of the equity in their home. For a home owned by a couple, up to $300,000 in equity in their home can be kept while the parties file bankruptcy and discharge their debts.

Home ownership and the fair value of real estate provides economic stability to millions of Americans. In the event the economy in the United States were to stabilize, the real estate market also must be stabilized. Homeowners should not be forced to watch the value of their greatest single asset, their home, falling in value each and every month.

Mortgage Modification Assistance

We can help you with mortgage modification issues. Should your home go into foreclosure, the Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo can see to it that the foreclosure is stopped in its tracks and you are not thrown of your home. We litigate foreclosure proceedings. We attend court conferences on behalf of our clients. We litigate bad faith loan practices by financial institutions, predatory lending practices, as well as defective foreclosure lawsuits issues. We also maintain this foreclosure blog to help educate the general public. Should you have mortgage modification or foreclosure issues, call us at 1-800-344-6431; 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802. The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo responds to emails and our phones are monitored 24/7.

Foreclosure Defense in Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Baldwin, Malverne, Freeport, Oceanside, Long Beach, Elmont, Lakeview, West Hempstead, Hempstead, Merrick and Bellmore, New York

We represent individuals throughout the New York Metropolitan area with divorce and child custody, personal injury, car accident, wrongful death, estate administration, nursing home and medicaid issues

The information you obtain at this website is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your particular legal issue. This is attorney advertising.

This is attorney advertising. This website is designed for general information purposes only. The information presented on this website shall not be construed to be legal advice. If you have a legal problem you should consult with an attorney.

Copyright © 2018 By The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo. All Rights Reserved.