I know business news is boring, but
this article from today's L.A. Times is a must read. The headline says it all: "3 banks lose loan mod incentives" from the federal government. Those three are BofA, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. The government says these banks need to improve their loan modification practices to qualify for the money. I'll say. Several other loan servicers were judged to be poor performers too: Ocwen, American Home Mortgage Servicing, Citigroup, GMAC, Litton, OneWest Bank and Select Portfolio.
Some short sale experts I've spoken with believe that the small amount of money that the government is offering these banks is a joke, and this article quotes others who say the same. And the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to end the program. To me, whether or not the banks get money for modifying loans, it's bizarre that banks would force their own customers into foreclosure instead of knocking points of their interest rates. How does that scenario make sense?
