Fannie, Freddie refuse to reduce ‘underwater’ loan amounts

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that after several months of mounting pressure from the Obama administrator and lawmakers that the mortgage giants it regulates, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will not lower the mortgage principal of underwater homeowners.

Its decision quickly drew criticism.

The FHFA insists that through its own analysis it has concluded that reducing the mortgage principal of struggling homeowners will not help prevent foreclosures nor save taxpayers money in bailout money to the GSEs.

The Obama administration says it disagrees with the FHFA’s decision. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was quick to argue that a reduction of struggling borrowers’ loan balances by the FHFA could save taxpayers up to $1 billion.

“I do not believe it is the best decision for the country,” Geithner wrote to the FHFA shortly after it announced its decision. “You have the power to help more struggling homeowners and help heal the remaining damage from the housing crisis.”

The government had committed to helping to cover some of the costs to implementing such a program if the FHFA would permit mortgage principal reductions to move forward.

Yet, Edward DeMarco, the FHFA’s acting director, says that the FHFA has concluded after months of consideration that “the anticipated benefits do not outweigh the costs and risks” with mortgage principal reductions, and that the agency stands by its original decision to not permit it.

DeMarco said that only about 74,000 to 248,000 homeowners would be eligible for the principal reductions, but developing and implementing such a program would prove costly. Plus, about 11 million Americans are underwater on their mortgages so the program would only be able to help a small share.

DeMarco also said he was concerned reducing the mortgage principal on some homeowners’ mortgages would prompt other borrowers to fall behind on their payments so that they could receive similar treatment.