Foreclosures: My Family's Experience Essay

There are several issues that need to be addressed, to help solve this foreclosure crisis. The first issue is how the banks were clearly misled by the government, in a sense, that they approved clients for home loans they could not afford. They then took advantage of the late payments, and increased interest rates. We have seen firsthand what happens when people take advantage of the uneducated, ultimately everyone fails. We as a society need to stop dwelling on failure, stop preventing bankruptcy, and rather reward success through government guarantees. The United States government has already pumped billions of dollars into the US banks, but the money is not being used the way it was

In order to fix the foreclosure crisis, the supply of homes on the market will need to be sold. My plan creates a team approach to achieving this goal. The team would consist of a realtor, an appraiser, a mortgage broker, and a homeowner. The realtor will complete a market analysis for the homeowner, and the appraiser will do an appraisal for the mortgage company. The mortgage broker will assess the homeowner’s financial situation to determine what they can now afford. The realtor will help the homeowners find a new home at a price they can afford. The mortgage broker will set up a new mortgage with new strict guidelines designed to help the homeowner succeed. The homeowner

This forgiveness period would assist with the foreclosures caused by people getting laid off or having their income decreased. In the long run they would be paying interest on six months or less twice, but still have a lower payment when they need it. This plan also allows the banks to make their money, but not at the detriment of the homeowner. This would also make it easier for the family to focus on getting a job because they would not have to worry about losing their home as well. I would think that it would be a horrible thing to be told “Oh, you lost your job, but here we can now take your home from you”. This would also make it difficult to fix the foreclosure crisis. Something has to give to help this situation get better, why not have people start working together for the good of the situation instead of against each other for themselves.

In 2001, the United States endured a short unexpected decline in the economy. With the terrorist attack at 9/11 and accounting scandals, a decline in the U.S economy was an obsession in the minds of the American people. However, in order to keep things at peace, the Federal Reserve determined that they will lower the Federal funds 11 times. The rate was then lowered from 6.5% to 1.75% in a matter of one year. This allowed bankers the power to award more borrowers with loans even if they had no job, income, or even assets. Even with no way of obtaining any income the dream of buying a home became a reality. It wasn’t long before everything became way cheaper.

As the economy drops and foreclosures are on the rise, millions of Americans who were financially stable several years ago are asking the same question, “How could this happen to me?” The crisis has occupied the minds of politicians, who are trying desperately to solve this problem, but the tragedy continues as more and more Americans are foreclosed on with no alternatives. The foreclosure crisis will not be solved by simply lowering interest rates, firing loan brokers, or other short-term, ineffective solutions. The long term solution to the housing crisis has nothing to do with housing. The government has lost its way and needs to redirect the way the whole economy is run.

Foreclosure in America has been a rising and prominent problem recently, and has destroyed many Americans hopes and dreams. Over 2.3 million homes were foreclosed in 2008, and an estimated four million homes will be foreclosed by the end of this year. Despite the efforts of many banks and lending companies, over half of homes will foreclose that have received their help. I believe that we have only started in the right direction in solving the foreclosure crisis. Giving money and lowering mortgage rates will help, but I believe we should find out why Americans are in this situation in the first place. We are being too stereotypical when we think the only reason someone is foreclosing is because of irresponsible payments or buying a home

The foreclosure crisis that took over the United States a few years ago left many people facing economic hardships. This crisis happened because there was a huge housing bubble that was unsupported by actual home values. The bubble began bursting in spring of 2008 and the crisis culminated in mid-2009. Many lenders went out of business and many home owners began losing their homes. When the government became aware of this problem and began to implement new programs, it was already too late for many homeowners. Those homeowners are not at a point where they might be considering buying a new home. The housing crisis has created new rules, regulations governing the mortgage industry, and has also created a new agency dedicated to consumer protection. This consumer protection agency is called the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. These dramatic changes have helped to create more responsible lending. The improving market conditions such as low housing costs and competitive interest rates are allowing those affected by a foreclosure to become homeowners again. Prospective buyers have a multitude of programs available to them, so even those with less than clean slate have several options.

Too many Americans have fallen victim to the crisis that has become the norm for our citizens these days. Lenders no longer want to work with individuals who have gone through the foreclosure process and for many it is not only their homes they lose. Some have lost their jobs and/or families, others fall into a deep depression and worst of all some have taken their own lives.

Since this paper only touches upon the basics of this plan, it will only explain three priority groups (keeping in mind that various subgroups can be created for a broader variety of situations). The highest priority group (Group A) must meet the requirements that follow. Homes must have been bought before January 1st, 2009, and the loans must have been financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Borrowers must be current on their payments, and must not have missed a payment for one year before requesting the refinance. The group with the second highest priority (Group B) could have purchased their home either before or after January 1st, 2009. However, if the loan was taken out after the date, residents must wait one year (with no missed payments) to apply. Those who qualify for Group B must not have any delinquencies yet, but they can have missed two payments at the most. Therefore, while they do not have to be current on their payments, if they exceed missing two payments, resulting in a delinquency, they must be eligible for Group C. This lower priority group must have a delinquency, before or after the bank starts the process of foreclosure. This group would need to be behind on their payments, missing at least three. While all of these groups are eligible for a refinance, Group A will be able to refinance for the greatest volume of customers at the highest loan

Unfortunately, these banks have already approved so many loans that they have put so many people on the streets because they have lost their homes. Fixing the banking system now, although it will help people in the future, will not help the people who have already lost their homes and are living on the streets, homeless. Due to the economic recession, many Americans have lost their jobs and, as a result, cannot make their mortgage payments. When a house is foreclosed on, almost everyone involved loses money: the family loses their home and most of their possessions; for investors, loses range from 20-60 cents on the dollar; lenders typically lose $50,000 for each foreclosure (fdic.gov). Instead of immediately foreclosing on a home, the bank should look at the situation the family is put in: has there been a medical problem? Has one of the people bringing in income lost their job? If so, there should be a period of time granted to the household in which mortgage bills should stop. For example, if a father has lost his job, the wife doesn’t work, and they have young children, mortgage bills should stop until he has found work. Unless the family has saved up a lot of money and is able to make the payments with both parents out of work, there is no possible way they will be able to make the payments. Considering that the family has a mortgage, they probably haven’t saved up a lot of money to keep up with the

Solutions to alleviate the impacts of the foreclosure crisis are absolutely central to the health of our financial systems and the country’s economic stability. The foreclosure crisis is nowhere near an end as mortgages with “teaser rates” are expected to default in catastrophic numbers. The goal of foreclosure solutions must be to keep people in their homes with affordable monthly payments, while still leaving cash in their pockets to contribute to our heavily relied upon consumer based economy. Solutions do not lie in forgiving mortgage loans and billion dollar bank handouts, as this only sets a bad precedent for contract law and regulation standards by condoning financially reckless behavior. We must work with people directly and mortgage modifications must be dealt with on an individual basis.

In 2005 I became a widow with four young children and no home. I took my husband’s modest life insurance policy and put $12,000 down on what I thought would be our home until my children graduated and went on to live their own lives. After a year of paying a modest mortgage payment in the state of New York, my mortgage suddenly went up over $400 a month and I could no longer afford the payments. For three months I called every refinancing company, every home loan company and any other resource I knew of at the time, in an effort to save our home. Because I was on a fixed income and had gotten behind in my mortgage payments no company would touch a refinance unless I could bring it up to date. I put my house on the market for a much lower price than I was paying for it and after another three months when it didn’t sell I was forced out of my home.

Bing! Bang! Boom! Cannons, bombs, destruction, arrows, swords, fists, and guns are things that we associate with war. But, what is war? Is war a fight? Is war a disagreement? Is war a conflict? Are all wars bloody? Are all wars violent? Are violence and war inversely related? Are all wars politically motivated? Are Wars self motivated? War is described as described as being “collective violence waged between violence waged between two or more opposing groups that have been armed and organized for that purpose.”(Lecture) In ancient texts such as the Iliad, Thucydides ’Funeral Oration’, and Herodotus on the Battle of Thermopylae all show how war was an essential part of life in the ancient world.

Seeing other people reactions towards foreclosure helps me to develop a meaningful value of life and how to appreciate it everyday of my life. As I see what is going on around me I came up with three plans that can be executed to help all people who are dealing with foreclosure issues. This can become a major factor for the economy. One is called Own A Home , Financially Fit, and Bills To Kill. These are guaranteed plans that will help any individual that feels that they are not financially secured to become a homeowner. The Own A Home program is designed for aspiring homeowner in which they

With all of the incentives and mortgage products given so easily to people that couldn’t afford the high prices (including interest rates), many people defaulted on their first mortgages because they were no longer were able to receive the profit from the homes they first intended to flip. “During the first quarter of 2008, nearly 9% of all mortgage holders were delinquent or in foreclosure, the highest rate since recordkeeping began in 1979. Foreclosure filings more than