Fannie Mae Moves Up Start Date for 125% LTV HARP Loans

Fannie Mae (FNM) will accept mortgages refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) with loan-to-value (LTV) ratios between 105.01% and 125% on August 1, one month earlier than previously announced. “We are providing this advance ability for whole loan committing to address lenders’ needs to obtain secondary market pricing information so they can establish their own pricing for loan originations,” the government-sponsored enterprise said in a statement Friday. The announced also said Fannie will start accepting whole loan and mortgage-backed securities deliveries with the new, higher LTV on September 1. The HARP is an Obama Administration initiative aimed at helping borrowers refinance their underwater mortgages. Loans owned or serviced by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (FRE) are eligible for the program. Loans modified through the program are required to either lower a borrower’s monthly payment or move them into a more stable mortgage, i.e. going from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate loan. Loans with LTVs above 105% are required to be 30-year fixed rate mortgages. Write to Austin Kilgore. Disclosure: The author held no relevant investment positions when this story was published.