Posted on 12/15/2008 9:50:05 AM PST by BGHater
In a move that provides relief to thousands of renters who face eviction but draws the federal government even deeper into the housing market, the loan giant Fannie Mae said Sunday that it would sign new leases with renters living in foreclosed properties owned by the company.
It is the first nationwide effort to provide widespread relief to renters ensnared by the unfolding mortgage crisis, and it will effectively transform Fannie Mae —a government-controlled mortgage finance company — into a national landlord.It may also increase pressure on private lenders to establish similar programs and on lawmakers to pass renter relief.
“There are renters all around the country who have been holding up their end of the bargain and paying their rent faithfully, but the landlord got into trouble, and so the renter is now unfairly facing eviction,” said John Taylor,president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition,a consumer advocacy group.“It’s really good news that Fannie Mae is doing this. Now the question is whether private sector will follow suit.”
In recent months, skyrocketing foreclosure rates have exposed as many as 70,000 renters to evictions, even though many never missed rent payments, according to analysts who track housing data. In many cities and states, renters can be evicted after their home goes into foreclosure, regardless of how long their lease stretches into the future.
Many financial institutions — including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America — have policies to evict renters after foreclosure, company representatives said.
Fannie Mae’s initiative is expected to initially benefit as many as 4,000 renters living in foreclosed homes owned by the company. Fannie Mae has traditionally only bought and sold mortgages. But when a loan held by the company goes into foreclosure, Fannie Mae gains ownership of the underlying property until it is resold to new investors.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The GSEs have at one time owned 85% of the mortgages in the country. Do you want them as the national landlord?
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