Despite record high of nearly 3 million foreclosure filings expert says the worst is yet to come
Foreclosure expert says the worst is yet to come as foreclosure filings hit record high of nearly 3 million in 2009
Industry group RealtyTrac’s year-end report shows a record 2.8 million U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in 2009.
It shows 3,957,643 foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled foreclosure auctions and bank repossessions — a 21 percent increase in total properties from 2008 and a 120 percent increase in total properties from 2007.
The report also shows that 2.21 percent of all U.S. housing units (one in 45) received at least one foreclosure filing during the year, up from 1.84 percent in 2008, 1.03 percent in 2007 and 0.58 percent in 2006.
Foreclosure expert and consumer bankruptcy attorney O. Max Gardner III said the number of homeowners who have been able to modify their loans and save their houses is “dismal.”
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“The sad thing is nothing is really working,” said Gardner. “None of the modification programs are really working.” As it is, loans are being modified — albeit at a slow pace — and mortgage companies are reducing interest rates temporarily, Gardner said.
“The way they’re modifying the loans is not giving consumers the kind of relief they need (to stop foreclosure),” he said. “They need to create a sustainable payment.”
Principal reduction advocated
Gardner said there is one thing that could help the situation — a statutory obligation that would force companies to reduce the principal of a loan instead of simply the interest rate. That could better align mortgages with current home values.
Home values themselves have plummeted over the past several years, said Gardner, and some people are paying on mortgages that are for more than the homes are actually worth in today’s market.
“If you really want a sustainable program, debt must be reduced to the amount of the property,” he said.
Prime interest rate keeping situation from being 10 times worse
Despite Gardner’s grim outlook on the foreclosure situation, both locally and across the nation, he said there is one thing that has kept it from being worse than it already is.
“The one thing that saved it is the prime interest rate has been stable since 2007,” he said. “If it were higher, the problems would be 10 times worse.”
Some of those mortgages are simply walking away from homes because the outstanding principal on the mortgage is higher than the home’s value. Adding to the problem are mortgage companies, which also walk away from homes because of back taxes, lawyers’ fees and homeowners’ association fees.
“The problem is working its way up in income levels,” said Gardner.
Number of foreclosures to increase at least until 2012
Overall, he expects the number of foreclosures to increase at least until 2012 as they extend into wealthier neighborhoods, targeting professionals such as doctors, accountants and lawyers, he said.
And because of that Gardner has a simple message for consumers: The worst is yet to come.
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Source: http://www.shelbystar.com/news/foreclosure-44148-shutters-million.html
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