Losing your home, a loan that’s a ticking time bomb
Experts predict foreclosure rise & Homeowners find it hard to refinance loans
June 20, 2006
The Associated Press

  Anita Britten plays with her niece, Amber Britten, 3, at her home in Lithonia, Ga. As more hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, adjust upward and housing prices begin to dip, many Americans can't refinance out of this riskier type of loan. As a result, they are finding themselves trapped in too-high monthly payments, and those who can't afford them may face foreclosure.

  NEW YORK — In 2003, Anita Britten refinanced her two-story brick cottage in Lithonia, Ga., using a hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM. Her lender reassured her she could refinance out of the riskier loan into a traditional one when her interest rate started to reset.
  Three years later, Britten can't get a new mortgage, and her monthly payment has jumped by a third in six months. She can't afford her payments and may face foreclosure if her financial situation doesn't change.
  As more ARMs adjust upward and housing prices begin to dip, many Americans like Britten can't refinance and are finding themselves trapped in too-high monthly payments. For those who can't make their payments, foreclosure is the only way out.
  Foreclosure figures just released by the Mortgage Bankers Association show foreclosure activity fell in the first quarter of 2006 over the first quarter of 2005 for all loan categories except subprime loans. The MBA didn't specify how many of subprime loans were adjustable rate mortgages.
  In the last several years, millions of Americans took equity out of their houses and refinanced when interest rates were at historic lows and housing prices were at record highs.
  Many of them chose to refinance into hybrid ARMs that lenders were aggressively pushing. ARMs, which featured a low introductory interest rate that resets upward after a set period of time, were easier to qualify for than traditional fixed-rate loans.
  Foreclosure figures just released by the Mortgage Bankers Association show foreclosure activity fell in the first quarter of 2006 over the first quarter of 2005 for all loan categories except subprime loans. The MBA didn't specify how many of subprime loans were adjustable rate mortgages.

  In the last several years, millions of Americans took equity out of their houses and refinanced when interest rates were at historic lows and housing prices were at record highs.
  Many of them chose to refinance into hybrid ARMs that lenders were aggressively pushing. ARMs, which featured a low introductory interest rate that resets upward after a set period of time, were easier to qualify for than traditional fixed-rate loans.

  ARMs now are starting to fall by the wayside as the difference in interest rates narrows. The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan in May was 6.60 percent compared with 5.63 percent on a one-year ARM, according to Freddie Mac. In 2003, rates on a 30-year fixed were at 6.54 percent, while ARMs carried a 3.76 percent rate.
  This year, more than $300 billion worth of hybrid ARMs will readjust for the first time. That number will jump to approximately $1 trillion in 2007, according to the MBA. Monthly payments will leap, too, many beyond what homeowners can afford.
  For example, Britten's monthly payment jumped from $1,079 to $1,340 at the beginning of this year. It rose again on June 1 by another $104 and is scheduled to increase again in December. Britten, who also is paying off student loans, went to a credit counseling service to help her avoid foreclosure.
  "I've gotten rid of all my credit cards and I'm not supposed to refinance for another year," she said. "All I can do is tread water right now."
  "ARMs are a ticking time bomb," said Brad Geisen, president and chief executive of property tracker Foreclosure.com. "Through 2006 and 2007, I'm pretty sure we'll see a high volume of foreclosures."
  Last year, foreclosures hit a historic low nationwide at about 50,000. But that number has more than doubled since then, according to Foreclosure.com.
  And delinquency rates appear to be rising, as well. While delinquency rates fell for most types of loans from the fourth quarter of 2005 because of a stronger economy, delinquencies for both prime and subprime ARM loans increased year-over-year in the first quarter, according to the MBA.
  The hardest-hit states so far are those that have experienced the roughest times economically. Michigan, Texas and Georgia lead the pack, specifically around Detroit, Dallas and Atlanta, whose major employers have run into strikes, bankruptcies and industry downturns.
  But as the housing market slows, experts expect foreclosures to skyrocket in those areas that have experienced the highest appreciation rate - such as California, Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
  "There is a direct correlation between foreclosure sales and market activity," said Dr. James Gaines, a research economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. "If the rate of appreciation is not there, then there is an increase in foreclosure sales."
  Although California's default notices are rising by the thousands, actual foreclosure sales remain in the hundreds, Gaines noted. Because of California's still-active housing market, homeowners there can sell their properties before going into foreclosure.
  On the flip side, in less active markets such as Texas and Georgia, homeowners can't find a buyer in time and are forced into foreclosure. But as the housing cools in these once hot markets at the same time that ARMs reset, many homeowners may be unable to dump their properties before going into foreclosure, Gaines predicts.
  Additionally, Gaines pointed out these same real estate markets also boasted a higher percentage of ARM originations, because most buyers only could get into their homes using an unconventional loan.
  California, where the median home price reached $468,000 in April, leads the nation in the percentage of homes purchased with adjustable rate mortgages. Nationwide, ARMs account for 24 percent of all home loans.
  "In our zeal to make mortgage lending more available to a greater number of people, it's normal to expect the foreclosure rate to go up," Gaines said.
  Even investors in foreclosures are having a harder time finding good deals, as the housing market cools. Many homes that do end up in foreclosure auctions are saddled with more than one mortgage and have little or no equity - so the investors take a pass.
  Falling home values also are affecting homeowners' ability to refinance into a traditional 30-year fixed rate loan to avoid foreclosure.
  In 2002, Christopher Jones, 32, refinanced into a hybrid ARM with plans to refinance again when the rate started to readjust. At the time, his downtown Atlanta house appraised for $108,000.
  Now, his monthly payments have shot up, but Jones can't sell his house for more than $84,000 and he can't get an appraisal for more than $85,000.
  The appraisal firm told Jones the value of houses in his neighborhood have fallen victim to a cooling market. With no other options left, Jones has decided to pack it in and foreclose on the house.
  "I'm just going to take the loss," he said. "That's all I can do."
  Some homebuyers, especially first-time buyers, may not have fully understood the risk of ARMs. In the rush to close on a house sale, especially in the frenzied market of the past few years, many first-time buyers often failed to get the full details of their loan from their mortgage broker.
  "Sometimes buyers are very optimistic of how much mortgage they can handle, especially in a strong housing market with aggressive marketing of riskier mortgages," said Suzanne Boas, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Atlanta.
  When Dora Angel of DeSoto, Texas, bought her first home in 2003, she paid $141,000 for the brand new three-bedroom, two-bath home. At the time, her mortgage payment was $1,400 a month.
  DeSoto originally thought she had a fixed-rate loan. But about five months ago, she noticed her monthly payment kicked up to $1,900. She only made the monthly payments by sacrificing payments on her credit cards, which pulled down her credit rating.
  Now, DeSoto can't continue paying $1,900 each month, but, because of her credit ranking, she doesn't qualify for a fixed-rate mortgage. "I was a first-time buyer. I was blind. I didn't know what questions to ask," she said. "And the mortgage brokers are there telling you what you want to hear just to get you in the mortgage."
  Unfortunately, during a runaway market, many buyers, sellers and mortgage brokers were more excited about making deals than making smart deals, and the fallout has just begun.
  "We are on the front of this ARM problem. It will roll out over the next several years," Boas said. "Owning a home is the American dream, but losing one is the ultimate nightmare."

Q&A on foreclosure and adjustable-rate mortgages
The Associated Press

Q. What is foreclosure?
A. A foreclosure occurs when the mortgage lender reclaims the title and rights to a house or property because the borrower is unable to pay the monthly mortgage obligation. The lender may sell the foreclosed property to satisfy the debt. Foreclosures vary in time and process depending on the state.
Q. What is a hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage?
A. A hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage features an initial low-interest rate for a fixed period of time, usually three, five or 10 years. After the fixed time period, the interest rate adjusts upward, usually every six or 12 months, and caps out at a predetermined rate. The rate can increase as much as 2 percent each adjustment.
Q. What should I do if I have an adjustable-rate mortgage?
A. Dr. James Gaines, a research economist at the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, recommends that anyone who has an adjustable-rate mortgage should refinance into a fixed-rate mortgage within the next 18 months.
"Go ahead and bite the bullet and refinance," Gaines said, "because interest rates are on their way up."
However, if you don't qualify for a fixed-rate mortgage, seek help from a financial professional who can recommend lifestyle modifications, so you can afford the monthly payment when your ARM readjusts.
"It may not be a change of homes," said Ray Hooper, the housing director at Consumer Credit Counseling Dallas. "It may be a boat, an RV or a gas-guzzling SUV. But a financial professional can help to make unemotional comments and decisions."
Q. What should I do if I cannot make my monthly mortgage payments?
A. No matter what type of mortgage you have, quickly seek financial help from a credit counseling service if you are having difficulty fulfilling your mortgage obligation.
The counseling service will first encourage you to contact your lender immediately to try to work out a new payment plan if possible.
The counseling service also will help you get your secured debt obligations up to date. "We concentrate first on housing obligations and then transportation obligations because they need to get to their jobs," said Suzanne Boas, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Atlanta.
If foreclosure can't be avoided, the service can help to salvage as much equity from your house as you can.

If foreclosure can't be avoided, sell before you loose everything (added by editor scaryreality.com)