Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Washington Report: REO Discontent

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae is unhappy about the mounting thousands of REO houses it's stuck with, but now it's moving to sell off that inventory faster than it has in the past, potentially opening up some interesting opportunities for home buyers and their agents.


In a new policy announcement, Fannie says it will now accept purchase offers for its REO immediately after listing, without notifying lenders or mortgage servicers whose loan files are under review.

Under its previous policy, Fannie gave lenders and servicers fifteen days to find a better purchase offer for new REO they sent to the company following foreclosure.

That policy affected all repossessions where Fannie demanded the loan file on the house - potentially exposing errors in underwriting or servicing, and requiring reimbursement for losses by the lender.

But that policy also had a negative impact on Fannie's ability to move its REO out the door quickly. The fifteen day time-out slowed down the works - and sometimes kept properties out of reach of ready and willing buyers.


Read more here>

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