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Loan Modification Tips and Tricks to Deal With Your Lender (Page 1 of 3)
Loan Modification Tips and Tricks to Deal With Your Lender By Moe Bedard of www.LoanSafe.org
Are you having trouble with your mortgage? Has it adjusted and you cannot afford the new payment? Were you placed into a bad loan and you can’t refinance into a good one?
The first thing that a homeowner should do is identify that the mortgage on their current property is a lawful one. Meaning that there are no Truth in Lending Act Violations or RESPA violations and there wasn’t fraud involved on behalf of the lender or broker that originated your loan. When you are trying to stop foreclosure, you need to have as much ammo as you can to go up against your lender.
With that said, let’s go over some essential tips that might help you save your home.
1 Homeowner Tip = Have an experienced mortgage attorney examine your loan documents for these potential violations.
2 Homeowner Tip The homeowner needs a complete written life of loan history to see all the bogus charges and fees included in their mortgage balance. Also, the homeowner should make sure that any inflated appraisal and/or loss of property value is calculated into the workout.
Red Flags and Things to Look Out For in Your Loan:
Start by comparing the loan you got with the one you thought you were getting. Are the terms the same? That is, is your Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”) the same as the one you were quoted? Are your total monthly payments the same as you were told they would be? Is there a prepayment penalty, and if so, were you told about this prepayment penalty?
If you have refinanced your primary residence, that is, the home your currently live in, then the first thing you should look at is the “notice of Right to Cancel” which is also called the Three Day Right of Rescission. You usually has three days after signing loan documents to change your mind and cancel the loan.
The borrower must be told of this right in writing.
If the creditor fails to properly provide notice of this right to cancel, the right of rescission may be extended for up to three years.
When the right is extended for three years you can rescind the loan at any time before three years, meaning that the loan is treated as if it never existed. Essentially, you become entitled to all profits made by the creditor as a result of this loan. This means that the creditor must refund all interest paid, all closing fees, all broker fees, and even pay for your attorney fees. As you can imagine, this amount can be quite significant.
The extended right of rescission is a powerful tool to help borrowers who have been victims of predatory lending, and helping our clients exercise this right is often the first step in holding a creditor responsible for illegal behavior.
If it is determined that no laws have been violated on your mortgage, then it’s time to approach your lender for a possible loan workout or loan modification.
How to Build a Healthy Credit Score
When choosing a loan, one of the first things we check on is the interest rates. Apparently, the lowest interest rates and the best deals are only offered to those with good to excellent credit. If you have plans on obtaining a personal loan, car loan or mortgage, check your credit first to see if youll qualify for the best rates. If you have a low credit score, its a good idea to work on improving your credit first before applying for a loan. How can you build up your credit score? Here are some tips:
Remove negative information. Negative information can dramatically pull down your overall credit score. If those negative remarks are old and have already been settled, ask the credit bureau who issued your report if these remarks can be removed. Also, check for errors or incorrect charges in your report. If you found errors, call your creditor involved to clarify the issue and send a letter of dispute to your credit bureau.
Do not maximize your credit limit. See to it that youre not using more than 50% of your credit limit on all your accounts. Experts recommend using only 30%-40% of your allotted credit to reduce the risk of accumulating debts and improve your credit score at the same time. Dont close old accounts. Be careful about cancelling credit cards especially if youve had those cards for a long time. If those cards have high rates and charges, you dont have to use them often. Use them once in awhile only for small purchases to keep them from automatically closing. After swiping the card, pay off your balance completely before your scheduled due date.
Submit payments on time. Its important to submit your payments on time not only to your credit cards but to all your creditors. Pay close attention to your payment dates. As much as possible, try to submit your payments ahead of your due date to avoid delays or missed payments. Not only will this habit help build up your credit score, you can also save money by not paying the extra interest rate and late penalty charges.
Avoid submitting multiple applications to different lending companies. If you want to apply for a new credit card, choose carefully and submit your application to only one credit card company. Dont try to apply for credit cards just to get the freebies they offer. Remember, too many inquiries on your credit report sends out a negative impression to other lenders and may pull down your credit score.
Call in advance if youre going to be late. If you know that you cant submit your payment on time for this month, call your lender or credit card company right away and explain your situation. If you do so, it is most likely that your creditor would extend your due date without reporting it as late payment. If you promised your creditor that you will be paying your balance by the next month, do your best to keep your promise.