Monday, January 7, 2013

Purpose Of Loan Modification

By Alice Hanna


Homeowners may benefit from loan modification should they find themselves that they are unable or will be unable to pay their home loan payments. They're various means where the homeowner's loans can be modified. The objective of loan modification is to allow the homeowner to remain in their home by modifying the terms of payment on their mortgage in a way that they can afford.

Loan modification has advantages for both the lender and the debtor. For the lender it will work for their best interest because they don't have to go through the process of foreclosure. For the debtor who is having some short-term difficulty they'll be in a position to continue paying their mortgage on time.

One way by which loan modification can be applied is to reduce the payment of monthly mortgage without having to change the rate of interest or the principal amount, is to extend the term of the loan. If the borrower has the term for 30 years it can be extended up to 40 years. The savings made for each month will benefit the borrower though they have to make the payments 10 years longer before their home is paid off. This is a better option rather than having the property foreclosed. Normally, the lenders will at times come to an agreement to reduce the rate of interest on a mortgage for a temporary remedy. With the decrease of the interest rate on the mortgage for a short duration can aid the homeowner go through the financial crisis. On the other hand, the permanent reduction of the rate of interest is normally done through refinancing the loan. The interest that the lender gives during the period when the rate is reduced is forgiven but this will be added at the end of the mortgage to be paid when the loan reaches its maturity date or when the property is sold.

Principal forbearance and principal reduction are two distinct things when it comes to loan modification. A principal reduction is when the lender will reduce the amount of principal that the borrower owed without expecting repayment. Principal reduction is similar to debt forgiveness. This is more effective method of reducing the payments rather than lowering the rate of interest of the mortgage or extending the terms. Principal forbearance is when the lender forgives the rate of interest on the principal amount. This means that there is zero percent interest on the part of the loan. The borrower is still indebted with the entire principal to the lender and they have to pay back the loan when the property is sold or refinanced or when the loan matures.

Borrowers that apply for loan modification usually have other debt to pay off like the auto loan, credit cards bills, student loan, etc., that they need to pay each month. One of the factors that the credit bureaus apply to verify the credit scores for the borrowers is the ratio of the balance and the limit of revolving credit lines. This suggests that the lower the balance as compared to the limit, the better the debtor will be able to manage their credit. The debtor will be able to pay their other debt with a reduced monthly house payment.




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