The Obama administration has announced changes to its flagship foreclosure prevention initiative – the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Among the changes, borrowers who are struggling because of debt beyond their mortgage will be eligible for a secondary evaluation with more flexible debt-to-income criteria, and eligibility will be extended to investor-owned homes that are used as rental properties. The administration is also giving principal reductions a bigger role within the program, tripling incentives for investors that agree to write down an underwater borrower’s principal balance and offering these same incentives to the nation’s two biggest mortgage investors – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

We’ll all have to stay tuned to see how this develops . . .

All too often, clients come into our office, review their credit report, and are shocked to see what is listed.  Sometimes this is because there are old items that have been forgotten, but another culprit is identity theft.    

As the web has evolved, so have criminals and their tactics. With websites that look similar to name brand sites, con artists can pluck information as consumers enter what they believe is a legitimate site.  Once someone has stolen your identity and injured your credit score, it can be challenging to repair the damage. 

“Everything is done online these days,” says Identity Theft Resource Center Social Media Coordinator Nicki Junker. “Most of the time the victims of cyber-savvy criminals won’t be able to trace where the identity theft — a crime that has seen double-digit increases in the last five years — happened.”

Identity theft often goes unnoticed until it’s too late and the damage has already been done. In 2010, around 8.6 million households had at least one person who was a victim of identity theft, up from 6.4 million households in 2005, according to a recent study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Identity theft cost U.S. households about $13.3 billion in 2010, with the average loss being about $2,200.

Consumers can, however, take precautions to safeguard themselves and their identities while shopping online. Junker offers five ways to protect yourself online:

1. Confirm the site is legit: Before giving any personal information, check the URL to make sure that you’re still on the same site where you plan to make your purchases and that you haven’t been moved over to a fake one. Junker said sometimes consumers are switched over to a “cyber squatter’s” site that looks similar to a retailer’s site. It’s easy to be tricked into giving up credit card and other personal information.

2. Shop securely: When you start to check out and get ready to pay for your purchases, the URL should start with “https,” which means the site is secure. A secure site uses security technology to encrypt the information you send to the site, meaning computer hackers are stopped from collecting the data as it crosses the Web. You can also look for a closed yellow padlock at the bottom of the screen. If you see an open lock, you can assume that the site is not secure.

3. Use credit cards: Federal credit laws limit the amount a con artist can take on a credit card. Debit cards don’t have the same protections. “If they have a debit card, they can clear you out,” Junker explains. “You’re much better protected using a credit card than a debit card.”

4. Google the retailer: Before buying from a website, type in the retailer’s name and the word “scam” or “complaint” into a search engine. It’s a way to check out a retailer to see if the business is legit or not.

5. Explore the site: Can you find where the company’s office is located? Does the site clearly state a refund policy? Does it promise too much? “If it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t,” Junker warns. Take your time and make sure nothing seems out of whack or iffy.

Shopping online is a convenient way to avoid store crowds and traffic. By following these web-savvy tips, your shopping experience can be safe and convenient.  If you are living in Milwaukee-Waukesha-Racine area, the attorneys at Miller and Miller can help you to repair and rebuild your credit if you think there are errors. Call us at 414-277-7742 today!

If you request your credit score the only one you should purchase or pay attention to is from FICO.  The other scores are FAKE.  If you are using a credit repair organization find out if the score they provide is from FICO or fake!  Just remember…if the scores are not FICO – ignore them.  If the credit-related service does not monitor your real FICO scores – ignore them.

As of February 14, 2009 you can only purchase 2 of the 3 FICO scores at www.myfico.com/12

1. Mortgage insurance premium (MIP) will be increased to build up capital reserves and bring back private lending
   • The first step will be to raise the up-front MIP by 50 bps to 2.25% and request legislative authority to increase the maximum annual MIP that the FHA can charge.
   • If this authority is granted, then the second step will be to shift some of the premium increase from the up-front MIP to the annual MIP.
   • This shift will allow for the capital reserves to increase with less impact to the consumer, because the annual MIP is paid over the life of the loan instead of at the time of closing
   • The initial up-front increase is included in a Mortgagee Letter to be released tomorrow, January 21st, and will go into effect in the spring.
2. Update the combination of FICO scores and down payments for new borrowers.
   • New borrowers will now be required to have a minimum FICO score of 580 to qualify for FHA’s 3.5% down payment program. New borrowers with less than a 580 FICO score will be required to put down at least 10%.
   • This allows the FHA to better balance its risk and continue to provide access for those borrowers who have historically performed well.
   • This change will be posted in the Federal Register in February and, after a notice and comment period, would go into effect in the early summer.
3. Reduce allowable seller concessions from 6% to 3%
   • The current level exposes the FHA to excess risk by creating incentives to inflate appraised value. This change will bring FHA into conformity with industry standards on seller concessions.
   • This change will be posted in the Federal Register in February, and after a notice and comment period, would go into effect in the early summer.
   • Read More at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2010/HUDNo.10-016