Bush Signs Housing Bill

Associated Press
July 30, 2008 8:32 a.m.

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush on Wednesday signed a massive housing bill intended to provide mortgage relief for 400,000 struggling U.S. homeowners and to stabilize financial markets.

Mr. Bush signed the bill without any fanfare or signing ceremony, affixing his signature to the measure he once threatened to veto in the White House’s Oval Office in the early morning hours. He was surrounded by top administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Housing Secretary Steve Preston.

“We look forward to put in place new authorities to improve confidence and stability in markets,” White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. He added that the Federal Housing Administration would begin right away to implement new policies “intended to keep more deserving American families in their homes.”

The measure, regarded as the most significant U.S. housing legislation in decades, lets homeowners who cannot afford their payments refinance into more affordable government-backed loans rather than losing their homes. It offers a temporary financial lifeline to troubled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and tightens controls over the two government-sponsored businesses.

The House of Representatives passed the bill a week ago; the Senate voted Saturday to send it to the president.

Mr. Bush didn’t like the version emerging from Congress, and initially said he would veto it, particularly over a provision containing $3.9 billion in neighborhood grants. He contended the money would benefit lenders who helped cause the mortgage meltdown, encouraging them to foreclose rather than work with borrowers. But he withdrew that threat early last week, saying hurting homeowners couldn’t wait — and even blaming the Democratic Congress’ delays in action for forcing an imperfect solution.

Meanwhile, many Republicans, particularly those from areas hit hardest by housing woes, were eager to get behind a housing rescue as they looked ahead to tough re-election contests. Mr. Paulson’s request for the emergency power to rescue Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped push through the measure. So did the creation of a regulator with stronger reins on the government-sponsored companies, which Republicans have long sought.

Democrats won cherished priorities in the bargain: the aid for homeowners, a permanent affordable housing fund financed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the $3.9 billion in neighborhood grants.

Copyright © 2008 Associated Press

Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You Retire?

by Emily Brandon
Tuesday, June 24, 2008provided by

Financial planner Nancy Langdon Jones of Claremont, Calif., likes the idea of having her home paid off before she retires. Her husband, actor Claude Earl Jones, would rather have the money invested than tied up in the house. “For my husband, it was very important that he could look at his brokerage statement and see that the money was there,” she says. “I wanted to know that if something came up we wouldn’t have to worry about the house payments.”

After sitting down with a financial planner to get a neutral, third-party view, the Joneses found their compromise: downsizing to a smaller house (with a more manageable mortgage payment) while keeping most of their savings in their brokerage account.

Their struggle illustrates a divide in the financial planning industry. Should you own your home free and clear before you retire? Or is it better to keep your mortgage and invest the money elsewhere at perhaps a higher return while reaping the mortgage-interest tax break? Here are factors to weigh when deciding which path is right for you.

Compare interest rates. The typical 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage interest rate is currently 6.57 percent, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. If you are getting a higher average rate of return on your investments elsewhere than your interest rate, it makes sense to keep your mortgage. Just over half of affluent baby boomers born in 1948 who have both mortgages and investable assets of at least $1 million do not plan to pay off their mortgages until their 70s, if ever, according to a recent survey of 500 people by investment management firm Bell Investment Advisors.

“Mortgages help free up funds that otherwise would be tied up in property ownership for investment in equities,” says Jim Bell, the firm’s founder and president. Investing in the stock market money that would otherwise be tied up in home equity also gives you the option of raising cash to deal with unexpected expenses like medical bills or even rising gas prices.

Pay it down. If you’re not sure whether you can achieve a higher return in the stock market or aren’t willing to take the risk, then you should prepay your mortgage principal as you approach retirement. “We don’t know what the earnings are going to be in the market,” says Vern Hayden, a certified financial planner and president of Hayden Financial Group in Westport, Conn. “The guaranteed return on your money is the interest you were paying” on the mortgage.

Refinancing from a variable-rate loan to a fixed-rate mortgage can give you a better idea of what your payments will be in retirement. Brent Neiser, a certified financial planner and a director of the National Endowment for Financial Education, recommends paying down principal above your monthly payments when you can. “Adding money at your discretion gives you the ability to stop that when times are tighter,” he says. On a $150,000, 30-year mortgage at 6 percent interest, paying just $100 extra per month would save you $45,000 and allow you to pay off the debt seven years sooner than following the normal payment schedule.

Don’t rob your retirement plan. According to the most recent Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, 32 percent of households headed by someone age 65 to 74 were carrying home-mortgage debt in 2004. It can be tempting to dip into your 401(k) or IRA to pay it off. But mortgages shouldn’t be paid off in the absence of other savings. “You need to have a balanced approach of keeping that retirement savings robust and also have regular savings for emergencies so you don’t turn to the credit cards if your refrigerator or furnace breaks down,” Neiser says. Also, pay off higher-interest debt like credit cards and car loans before your mortgage. “If you have your money tied up in a paid-off mortgage, in order to access that equity which is in your house, you have to go pay the bank to get your money [by refinancing the loan],” says Elisabeth Plax, a Beachwood, Ohio, financial planner and wealth manager for Plax & Associates Financial Services. “If you invest it, all you have to do is liquidate it” by selling.

Consider tax breaks. The interest you pay on your home mortgage is tax deductible on up to $1 million in debt. You can also typically write off interest on up to $100,000 of home-equity debt. But you benefit from this tax perk only if all your itemized tax deductions, including your mortgage interest, add up to more than the standard deduction that almost everyone gets automatically. For 2008, the standard deduction amounts are $5,450 for singles, $10,900 for couples, and $8,000 for heads of households.

Jonathan Pond, a financial planner and author of Grow Your Money! 101 Easy Tips to Plan, Save, and Invest, argues that you need to be in the 35 percent tax bracket, or make at least $350,000 annually, for the tax break to be worthwhile. Most Americans in the 25 percent tax bracket might pay, say, $10,000 in mortgage interest but save only $2,500 in taxes.

Look at the emotional aspect. Some 16 percent of workers and 10 percent of retirees think making mortgage payments or paying for a house is the most pressing financial issue facing Americans today, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute survey done this year. But knowing that you own your home can give you a sense of stability in retirement–security that the possibility of stock market gains will never be able to. “Paying off the mortgage is going to reduce their need for cash flow when they go into retirement,” Hayden says. “I just think people ought to get out of debt because times are so uncertain, and the less they are shackled, the better they are going to be able to deal with whatever their problems are going to be.”

Copyrighted, U.S.News & World Report, L.P. All rights reserved.

What is a reverse mortgage?

A Florida Reverse Mortgage allows older homeowner’s (62+) to convert home equity into cash through monthly income, a line of credit or cash. The Florida reverse mortgage is different from conventional home equity loans: No income or credit qualifications, no monthly or immediate repayment due. The Florida reverse mortgage is repaid when the home is no longer the primary residence of the borrower (s).

There are several types of Reverse Mortgages:

• FHA insured HECM, sponsored by a branch of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Fannie Mae Home Keeper, sponsored by Fannie Mae
• Proprietary programs by private banks

FL Reverse Mortgage Property Qualifications

Single family up to four units…

The borrower has to reside in one unit as their primary residence but can rent the other unit (s).

Condos…
The condominium needs to be HUD approved or receive HUD spot approval. This can be done with a spot condominium affidavit completed by the homeowners association (provided by the lender). Special assessments and on-going litigation are not acceptable. HOA reserve must be sufficient. Planned Unit Developments (PUD).

Manufactured Homes…
Manufactured Homes maybe acceptable under certain conditions.

How do I the borrower get paid?

Monthly Payments…
As a tenure plan: receive a check for as long as one lives in their home.

As a term payment: receive a check for a certain period, i.e. 10 years or 15 years (only available on the HECM).

Line of Credit…
With the FHA HECM loan, the balance in the credit line could grow at .5% higher than the current interest rate being accrued. This could result in more money available for the borrower at future dates (There is no growth rate with the Fannie Mae Home Keeper loan).

Lump Sum or a Combination of the above…
With either the FHA or Fannie Mae loans, the payment plan may be changed during the term of the loan. A small one-time fee will be charged to the loan balance at the time of each change.

Florida Reverse Mortgage: FAQ

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