Bank Loan Tips

If you have a Bank of America or Countrywide Loan it is an understatement to feel helpless, worried that your HAMP loan modification will be denied and feel like no one cares, but there are a few things you must do to avoid being taken away in a straight jacket from the frustration and emotional toll facing foreclosure has on people. If you follow certain necessary steps, you will be empowered and can have successful outcome.

The first thing you must know going into this process is that you MUST go in with patience. During the last year the two corporations have become just one. As you can imagine many changes needed to take place internally for Bank of America. From employee training and transition, to system changes, company policy changes not to mention new government programs that require training on those guidelines and systems. They could not move fast enough to handle the new overloaded queue of loan modification requests from both Countrywide “Americas Wholesale Lender” as well as Bank of America B of A one of the nations largest lender. It does not take a rocket scientist to see that they must be overwhelmed with files amongst the transitions going on in their organization.

You may not get the answer you are looking for in your fist call or your twentieth call but they are claiming to be working towards a goal of helping more people. You may have to escalate your request from one level to the next but my point here is that you can achieve success if you can make a reasonable payment and you are willing to do the hard work on your own behalf with the determination and modification mindset of a professional.

There are reports that many of the people that have been denied for a loan modification from Countrywide or Bank of America as a result of having not turned in the necessary paperwork. You can refuse to be a statistic from the get go. This includes organizing your paperwork, using a checklist to ensure you turn everything in, write your loan number clearly on every sheet you send in and follow up to verify what has been received. Take good notes, get names and departments, only deal with Loss Mitigation not collection department. Know your numbers inside and out; income, expenses, value etc., learn about the programs and feel empowered and verify, verify, verify.

Although you may be doing your part you have to continue calling, and calling again if you are not getting the answers you deserve. Have an attitude of gratitude. Remember that the employees of the bank are overwhelmed too in a different way than you are but it is difficult dealing with people that are already very frustrated with the process. Get them with your kindness, and if you do not get a good vibe from the person send them a prayer, do not let them get you upset, just finish the call and call in again. Sometimes it does not pay to argue with someone that is not going to be helpful no matter what you say.

Don’t get discouraged if you get turned down, many people that end up with the right loan modification have been previously denied. It feels scary when you get it but do not let it get you down. Pick yourself up and fight for your home with determination and an attitude of success rather than fear. With the right Modification Mindset, skills and attitude you can accomplish anything.

By Anna Cuevas

During 2009, many homeowners who were in default on their Bank of America home loan were able to obtain a Bank of America Loan Modification through the Making Home Affordable Plan. Millions of homeowners across the United States did the same thing at the bank where they had a mortgage. They have saved an average of $500.00 a month on their house payments. This has been a very welcome government program, coming at a time when foreclosure was at a rate never seen before.

However, one major problem had not really been adequately addressed by the President’s MHA program until April 2010. There were so many homeowners underwater or upside down in their home loans, owing much more than the market value of their home. The government programs now will have assistance to encourage banks to forgive part of the loan principal to allow people to get their mortgage into a reasonable equity situation.

Bank of America had already begun to do principal reductions for their borrowers who owed over 120% of the market value of their homes. This was not in conjunction any government programs, but was a plan they initiated themselves. The program had no limit on how far underwater a homeowner could be, but the amount written off would not exceed 30% of the loan amount. Wells Fargo had followed suit with their own plans to modify loans by reducing principal, too.

The government’s loan modification program will run through December 31, 2012. If you qualify for a Bank of America Loan Modification, you could get a reduced monthly payment. In addition, with government incentives to reduce principal on upside down loans, you could really obtain a much more favorable situation in the long term. Most importantly, you could avoid foreclosure and save your home.

By Ashlee Ashton