Fannie Mae Fights Back

As of 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac owned or guaranteed about half or 56.8% of the U.S.’s $12 trillion mortgage market. Fannie Mae announced recently that it intends to fight back against homeowners who walk away from their property without making an effort to negotiate a workout with the mortgage servicing company. Fannie Mae has instructed servicing companies to identify those homeowners who do not attempt, in good faith, to negotiate a workout. Identifying these homeowners will allow Fannie Mae to pursue deficiency claims against them if the property ends up selling for less than what is owed. Fannie Mae also intends to bar the homeowners from obtaining a Fannie Mae guaranteed mortgage in the future for a period of seven years. This move by the mortgage giant is in reaction to a growing response by some homeowners who, fed up with crashing market values, strategically default on their mortgages and walk away from their property.