Who is the target market?
FHA’s new refinance opportunity is targeted to help people who owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth because their local markets have seen large declines in home values.
What are the borrower eligibility requirements?
• Existing loan to be refinanced is not FHA insured;
• Must owe more on their mortgage than the value of the property;
• Must be current on the existing mortgage to be refinanced;
• Must have a “FICO based” decision credit score greater than or equal to 500;
What are the borrower eligibility requirements?
• Existing first lien holder must write off at least
10% of the unpaid principal balance (UPB);
• Loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of no more than
97.75%;
• Combined loan-to-value (CLTV) ratio must be
115% or less; and
• For manually underwritten loans, the qualifying ratios can be no greater than 31/50.
Standard FHA underwriting requirements apply
Is a homeowner with a conviction eligible for the Short Refinance?
A homeowner is not eligible for assistance under any mortgage assistance program authorized or funded by EESA if such person, in connection with a mortgage or real estate transaction, has been convicted within the last 10 years of any of the following: (a) felony larceny, theft, fraud, or forgery; (b) money laundering; or (c) tax evasion.
Can lenders pay off the borrowers’ debts?
• Premium pricing cannot be used to pay off existing debts to qualify the borrower;
• FHA mortgagees are not permitted to make the borrowers’ mortgage payments or otherwise bring the existing loan current; and
• Existing loan to be refinanced may not have been brought current by the existing first lien holder, except through an acceptable permanent loan modification.
Is a recently modified loan considered current?
Yes.
– For loans modified under the Making Home
Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) program, the loan may close the month following permanent modification.
– For non-HAMP modification program loans, the borrower must have made three monthly payments on time and the modified mortgage must be current for the month due.
Loans in a temporary or trial period are not eligible.
Is secondary financing permitted?
Yes.
– The subordinate lien(s) must not provide for a balloon payment before ten years;
– Must permit prepayment by the borrower, without penalty, after giving 30 days advance notice;
– Periodic payments shall be collected monthly; and
– Payments on subordinate financing are required in the qualifying ratios.
How will these refinance loans affect the lender’s performance?
• Neighborhood Watch will display these refinance loans separately in the lender’s performance compare ratio.
• For the Credit Watch Termination initiative, these refinance loans will not be included in
HUD’s performance analysis of a lender’s compare ratio .
• If a violation of any FHA program requirements is found to have occurred, the lender will be subject to administrative action e.g., indemnification, possible civil money penalties, etc.
Are there any changes to the claims for insurance benefits?
• Lenders will be required to submit a separate claim filing with the designated disbursement agent for that portion which is payable from the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of
2008 funds; and
• Further instructions will be provided in a subsequent Mortgagee Letter.
Does the borrower need to know any additional information?
• Borrowers must be made aware that the short refinancing under this program may be reflected as a negative feature on their credit score.
• Borrowers must be advised to consult with their tax advisors regarding the cancellation of debt and possible tax consequences.
Are there servicer incentives for extinguishing all or part of the debt?
• First lien investors will not be entitled to incentive payments for any of the debt extinguished;
• Existing second mortgage lien servicers will be entitled to a one time incentive of $500 for each successful closing; and
• Existing second mortgage lien investors will be entitled to an incentive based on the CLTV of the existing liens if any portion of the debt is extinguished.
Treasury FHA Refinance Compensation Per Dollar of
UPB Extinguished in
(Loans Less than or Equal to Six Months Past Due)
105% to <115% 115% to 140%
0.21
0.15
>140%
0.10
For loans that were more than six months past due at any time during the 12 month period prior to the FHA
Refinance closing date, irrespective of CLTV range, second lien investors will be paid $0.06 per dollar of principal extinguishment and will not be eligible for incentives in the above extinguishment schedule.
What are the eligibility requirements for second lien holders to receive incentive payments?
• A second lien holder must execute a Servicer
Participation Agreement (SPA) and related documents with Fannie Mae in its capacity as financial agent as designated by Treasury on or before October 3, 2010.
• Second lien holders that have previously executed a HAMP SPA will be required to execute an Amended and Restated SPA or an additional Service Schedule that includes
FHA2LP, as applicable.
How can a second lien holder sign up to be eligible for incentive payments?
• Servicers that have not executed a HAMP SPA should follow the online registration process at www.HMPAdmin.com (click on the Registration tab) or call the HAMP Support Center at 1-
866-939-4469.
• Servicers who have executed a HAMP SPA must complete the appropriate registration form(s) for FHA2LP and email them to the
HAMP Support Center at setup@HMPAdmin.com.
Example
Scenario 1
Original Value
UPB First Lien
UPB Second Lien
Current Value
Max CLTV (115%)
New First Lien (97.75%)
New UPB Second Lien
Reduction by First Lien
Reduction by Second Lien
Net Forgiveness
350,000
280,000
70,000
210,000
241,500
205,275
36,225
74,725
33,775
108,500
• Loan is less than six months past due.
How is the incentive payment for the second lien holder calculated?
Current CLTV - 167%
CLTV - 140%
Difference
Reduction Second Lien
Incentive Payment - $.10
350,000.00
294,000.00
56,000.00
33,775.00
3,377.50
The reduction of the second lien is less than $56,000 so the Treasury FHA Refinance Compensation would be calculated at greater than 140% CLTV.
• Existing second mortgage lien servicers will be entitled to a one time incentive of $500 for each successful closing.
Example
Scenario 2
Original Value
UPB First Lien
UPB Second Lien
Current Value
Max CLTV (115%)
New First Lien (97.75%)
New UPB Second Lien
Reduction by First Lien
Reduction by Second Lien
Net Forgiveness
• Loan is less than six months past due.
100,000
60,000
60,000
60,000
69,000
58,650
10,350
1,350
49,650
51,000
How is the incentive payment for the second lien holder calculated?
Current CLTV - 167%
CLTV - 140%
Difference
CLTV - 115%
Difference
Reduction Second Lien
Incentive Payment - $.10 ($36,000)
Incentive Payment - $.15 ($13,650)
Total Incentive Payment
120,000
84,000
36,000
69,000
51,000
49,650
3,600
2,047.50
5,647.50
The reduction of the second lien is greater than difference between current CLTV and 140% CLTV so $36,000 of the extinguishment would be calculated at greater than 140% CLTV and the remainder $13,650 would be calculated at 115% CLTV.
What are benefits of these refinances?
• Provides lenders and borrowers with an affordable stable loan product;
• Helps to stabilize communities that have seen a decline in housing prices; and
• Costs will be shared between the private sector (1 st and 2 nd lien investors) and the federal government (HUD and Treasury).
– Private sector will be extinguishing debt.
– Treasury will be paying incentives to second lien servicers and investors.
– HUD and Treasury would pay the claim.