There is a war going on between the U.S.
government and the lending industry. Due to the financial collapse of FNMA and FHLMC the government was required to step in and take over these two housing giants. FNMA just required an additional $11.8 billion dollars of new capital to keep them afloat. The U.S. government is trying to stem these losses by making all of the lenders buy back loans that were sold to these two agencies. If government auditors can find any discrepancy in the file they issue a repurchase agreement to the lender who in turn needs to use their capital to buy the loan back. In response to the increased buyback requests from the government lending institutions are pressuring their underwriters to make sure not one piece of documentation is missing from a loan file prior to the closing of the loan. This often results in conditions that don't make any sense to the borrowers and agents and can cause major upset prior to closing not to mention closing delays.
In 2009 Bank of America was requested to buy back $425 billion of home loans from FNMA and FHLMC. In 2010 the number is supposed to double. In the first quarter of 2010 Wells Fargo set aside $2.6 billion in reserves just to pay the legal bill for fighting the government and their buyback requests. The pendulum has swung from lenders making practically every loan four years ago to the extreme opposite making getting a home loan a very harrowing experience for the buyers, to say the least.
Is there anything you as agents can do to help make the borrower's experience less daunting? Absolutely there is. Have all of your clients be thoroughly pre-approved prior to putting them in your car. Unfortunately there are many versions of what a pre-approval entails. We cross pre-approve borrowers for REO and short sale properties. We see regularly the poor job and lack of documentation that made up the pre-approval. We have a lender that asks for supporting documentation from the buyer only to find out they don't qualify at all. Had we not asked to cross qualify the client that escrow would have collapsed shortly.
So what can be done to make sure the very best of efforts is being put forth?
- One, call the lender that issued the pre-approval letter and ask, "Did you collect income and asset documentation and review it with an underwriter to determine the accuracy of the qualification?"
- Two, allow time for the lender to take these steps in order to better prepare everyone. We are still asked to write pre-approval letters by talking to the client on the phone when the purchase contract is being written as everyone is in a hurry.
This process doesn't cut it in today's difficult lending environment. Remember, if the borrower did not submit income and asset documentation to the lender for review then the pre-approval letter in your hand isn't worth the paper it is written on.
Tim Lorenz
Instant MLS Listings & Free Market Analysis
"We have actually closed many short sales!"
949-282-2521
Tim Lorenz . Over 40 Years Experience Representing South Orange County Home Buyers, Sellers, Investors and Relocations!
