Freddie Mac Statement On FHFA Announcement Of Short Sale Relief For Military Borrowers

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have agreed to allow military members who are ordered to switch bases and who are still current on their mortgages to sell their homes through a short sale — one in which the homeowner sells the home for less than the outstanding mortgage amount.

The following statement was released today by Paul Mullings,  Interim Head of Single Family Business and Information Technology, Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC):

“Freddie Mac is proud to support this important new effort to help servicemen and women when national duty requires them to sell their homes in an uncertain market.  We look forward to working with our servicers on this new short sale policy.  Together we can help ease the challenge of relocation for military families when Permanent Change of Station orders are received.”

News Facts:

• Today’s directive from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) means Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders will be considered a hardship for the purpose of qualifying borrowers serving in the armed forces for a short-sale.
• Once implemented the new policy will enable borrowers with PCS orders to sell a primary residence purchased on or before June 30, 2012 for less than the balance on their mortgages without first being in default.  Freddie Mac will also not pursue deficiency judgments or a contribution under the new policy.
• Freddie Mac policy currently requires mortgage servicers to treat PCS orders as a hardship for a loan modification or a forbearance.
• Freddie Mac and its servicers have helped more than 656,000 distressed borrowers avoid foreclosure since 2009, more than 116,802 of them through short sales and similar alternatives

“As FHFA Acting Director DeMarco announced today, Fannie Mae will issue guidelines to make military families that receive PCS orders eligible for short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.  These ‘graceful exits’ allow homeowners to avoid foreclosure if an affordable monthly payment cannot be created.  Any military family with a Fannie Mae-backed loan that is having difficulty making their mortgage payments can call 877-MIL-4566 or visit www.KnowYourOptions.com/Military for help in preventing foreclosure.

Options for Military Service Members

If you’re a service member struggling with your mortgage payment, you may qualify for a special military hardship. Additionally, military service members have protection against foreclosure for 9 months following termination of active duty. See below for details. You can also visit Army OneSource or Military OneSource.

Military Hardship may be an option if:

• You’ve received Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders
• You’re in active duty service (or just left)
• You (or your spouse) have been injured in active duty

Be sure to visit KnowYourOptions.com and MakingHomeAffordable.gov to learn more about refinancing, modification programs and other options available for homeowners.

On KnowYourOptions.com, you can access refinance and modification calculators so you can estimate payments and possible monthly savings. In addition, find Frequently Asked Questions, Contact Information for HARP Lenders and Mortgage Servicers and more.

The Fannie Mae Loan Lookup enables mortgage borrowers to quickly determine if Fannie Mae owns their loan by providing a street address, unit, city, state, and ZIP code.