As a Florida Foreclosure Lawyer we notice trends that would lead you to believe that the banks are using HAMP to collect fees and not to actually help people. A recent article on PUBLICCITIZEN a Consumer Law & Policy Blog has an article by Alan White where they quote some of the HAMP Conversion rates. It would appear from the very low rates, that there is an intentional effort not to approve, or to allow many into the program who they know will not qualify. The these numbers are compounded further by those who wait months to try to receive approval for temporary modifications.
As of August 2009, Bank of America had only accepted 59891 temporary loan modifications, while this may seem like a lot, they only converted 98. That means they collected fees from more than 600 people for every conversion. With All of the fees go to the servicer, It easy to see how Bank of America and other Banks are padding their bottom line at the expense of the American Consumer.
The bad news is that even those who are eventually approved find themselves in a worse position than if there was no loan modification. While the current payment is lower, many will actually end up paying more for their home than if they were able to perform under the original note. Since a prerequisite of the program is your upside down in the home (but not too much- we would not want to help those who really need it) maybe its a good that few of the HAMP modifications are actually approved.
If you are stuck in limbo contact a Jacksonville Foreclosure Lawyers who helps clients from many states who are subject to a Florida Foreclosure by Contacting us to discuss your situation, goals, objectives, and ways we can help.
For more information on Jacksonville or Florida Foreclosure Defense See the Florida Foreclosure Defense Lawyers Blog.