Foreclosures Face a Six Month Moratorium
Monday, April 28th, 2008
A proposal for a six month suspension on foreclosures has been made by some lawmakers as the numbers of people unable to pay their mortgages are increasing. Three bills have been introduced with the purpose of providing relief to the mortgage climate and the proposal for moratorium is among them. According to the second bill the tenants would be able to live in the foreclosed houses for another year.
The final bill would enable the homeowners to challenge their foreclosures at court. This law is the same in another 29 states like Connecticut, Maine, Florida, etc. Specific categories of subprime loans would attract a moratorium of six months on foreclosures. This category covers loans which have been approved without finding out whether the borrowers can actually repay them. During the standstill period, the homeowner would be negotiating terms with the lenders to come to an affordable monthly payment and he would continue to pay his loan.
According to a spokeswoman from the administrative department, foreclosures of around 600 properties across the state became delayed since the passing of the law. Since the volume of foreclosures is steadily increasing and the real estate market is facing a low, the numbers of empty homes are also increasing. In Lawrence more than 800 homes are facing foreclosure and it’s the nation’s third highest number. William Lantigua, a representative from Lawrence said that all the three measures taken by the bills were essential for bringing about stability to the Lawrence real estate market. The huge numbers of vacant homes were attracting vandals and thieves. Anthony Verga, a representative from Gloucester district said that it is unfair to throw the tenants out as the entire neighborhood is destabilized. He supports moratorium as it would give people a chance to negotiate and come to an agreement.
In 2007, Essex County had faced a hike of 65 percent in the rate of foreclosure while in Cape Ann, the hike was 47 percent. The foreclosure crisis was triggered off by the increase in the interest rates of subprime loans. These loans had adjustable rates and when the rates increased, people were unable to afford it. Since the real estate market was facing a low, the homeowners could not get rid of the problem by selling off their properties as the loans amounted to more than the property’s value. Tucker, a Democrat who is the chair of the Legislature’s Housing Committee, said that she would rather face the risk of foreclosure than lose lenders, scared away by moratorium. Lenders were essential as the credit was needed so that people were able to buy homes.
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