Underwater Mortgages

Unemployment and Mortgage Payments

Suppose you lose a job but still have monthly mortgage payments to make. Unfortunately, few people can keep up with their mortgage payments from unemployment benefits, and if your benefits run out before you find the next job, the situation is likely to become desperate.

The risk of losing your house is perhaps the biggest financial risk an average American would ever face. Let us look through the steps you can follow to reduce the chance of foreclosure.

Step #1. If you think in advance, you can insure yourself against unemployment through various mortgage protection programs offered by insurers. Sometimes home-builders even throw in free unemployment insurance to entice you to buy the house from them.

A mortgage protection works as follows. If you lose your job within a specified time after buying the house (typically 2 years), you will be covered for the full amount (as long as it is under the limit) of:

• mortgage
• tax
• and home insurance payments

The limit varies depending on your situation, but it is generally in the range of $2,000 to $3,000 per month.

Unfortunately, no insurance currently available will cover you for the full life of the mortgage (e.g., 30 years). Nor will it cover you in the case of an extended unemployment. This means job loss insurance should be considered a sales gimmick rather than a serious solution.

Step #2. If you just lost your job, you should immediately account for all your funds to understand how long you can afford to make mortgage payments. Don't forget to count your severance payment, unemployment benefits, and any savings you have accumulated. If you have enough money to last for at least 6-8 months, and you feel optimistic about finding a job, by all means give it a try. Just make sure you move to step 3 with at least 2-3 months to spare before your money runs out.

Step #3. Once you are at a point where you cannot make payments soon, contact the lender as soon as possible. Don't wait until your mortgage is delinquent! The earlier you start on this step, the better the chance to come out of this unharmed.

The goal is to buy extra time, which is hopefully enough for you to find a job.

Your first option is to request your lender to spread out your mortgage payments over a longer time.

Another way to buy time is to request a change in mortgage terms. For example, you may want to negotiate with the lender a lower interest rate or to freeze the interest rate on an adjustable rate mortgage. This will reduce the payments, and your current savings might last you a bit longer.

If your house value is high enough, you may be able to refinance it with a cash-out. The cash you receive could be enough to take care of monthly payments for a long time - just make sure to spend it wisely!

Step #4. If you've reached a point where the mortgage is delinquent, you still have a chance. Certain mortgages qualify for "partial claim" arrangement with the Federal Housing Administration, which provides you with an interest-free loan from the government that covers all your missed payments, up to 12 months. This loan does not have to be repaid until you sell the house or pay off the mortgage. It is a great deal, so you should definitely go for it if you qualify.

Furthermore, you can continue negotiating with the lender. However, you have to be careful since once you are delinquent, the lender might simply take all the partial payments you send them, and still foreclosure your home. It is really worth hiring an expert to help at this point.

The nation's real estate crisis is so severe that it is dragging the rest of the economy down with it. Banks, which lent out mortgage loans almost indiscriminately, are now saddled with fatal amounts of bad debt because people can't pay these mortgage loans. Many people bought their homes at the height of the real estate boom, when home values were sky-high. Now, the values of their homes have plummeted - and the end is nowhere in sight - and yet they've still got enormous mortgage loans to pay off. As home values fell, their loans didn't. When a mortgage loan is more than the value of the home, the borrower is said to be holding an underwater mortgage.

For example - Let's say you find a very nice, brand new home in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The year is 2005, and the real estate market is on fire. Your home is valued at $675,000. You get a loan for almost all of it, and you're making large payments every month. By 2009, however, the value of your home has tanked, and it's now worth $480,000. Your mortgage is now officially underwater.

Underwater mortgages are on the rise all over the country. Many home owners are faced with the very difficult question of what to do about their underwater mortgage: Should they continue to pay huge amounts of money every month for something that is worth much less than what they will end up paying for? Many home owners are just walking away from their underwater mortgages, and letting the chips fall where they may.

To learn more about underwater mortgages, and what to do about an underwater mortgage, be sure to speak to your banker and see what they might suggest. Also read up on the different programs for underwater mortgage and how to refinance an underwater mortgage so that if you need help on an underwater mortgage, you will at least have an idea what your options are.

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