REFIs are Getting Tougher

Refinancing underwater

While hundreds of thousands of mortgage borrowers have been able
to squat in their homes without making a single mortgage payment
in months or even years, many responsible homeowners who have
good credit and consistently meet their monthly obligations
haven't been able to refinance in order to avoid losing their
homes. Many of today's homeowners purchased their homes during a
time of easy credit, when mortgage products, like interest-only
loans and option adjustable-rate mortgages were issued to the
marginally qualified. And many were told that -- if they made
their payments faithfully -- they could easily refinance out of
these products into affordable fixed-rate loans once the payments
started to balloon. But that day has never come for some
borrowers -- no matter how good their payment record or credit
score. Many lenders are refusing to refinance underwater
mortgages -- loans that are higher than the value of the home --
because it would mean big losses for them if the borrower
defaults, said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics.
According to data submitted to federal regulators and analyzed
by the Wall Street Journal, nearly 27% of mortgage applicants
were denied mortgages in 2010, up from 23.5% a year earlier.

About the author:
Chris McLaughlin is widely known as America’s top
Real Estate Attorney and Investment Consultant.

Chris is one of my favorite and accurate Authors on Real Estate.

Thank you, Larry