More Help On The Way For Struggling Homeowners
Additional foreclosure relief is one step closer to becoming law as the Massachusetts House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 4087, “An Act to Prevent Unlawful and Unnecessary Foreclosures.” The bill, sponsored by AG Martha Coakley, mandates that banks and foreclosing lenders enter into mandatory loan modification discussions with borrowers before they can start foreclosure proceedings on residential homeowners.
Lenders May Have To Consider Loan Modifications
The key provision of the bill is the requirement that lenders give borrowers a fair shot at a loan modification. Among the factors that banks must consider before foreclosing is the “borrower’s ability to pay,” a provision that will likely be addressed in future drafts of the legislation, or through regulations developed by the Massachusetts Division of Banks. Under the proposed law, if a modified loan is worth more than the amount the bank expects to recover through foreclosure, the lender must offer that modified loan to the borrower. If it doesn’t, then the lender can continue the foreclosure process.
This bill builds on previous legislation, “An Act Relative to Mortgage Foreclosures,” signed into law in August 2010, which made sweeping changes to Massachusetts foreclosure law. That Act extended the 90-day right-to -cure on foreclosures to 150 days, created new requirements for lenders offering reverse mortgages, established mortgage fraud as a crime, and provided additional protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is expected that it will be finalized by the completion of the formal legislative session on July 31, 2012. As always, we’ll keep tabs on these developments.
