Though both presidential candidates were short on specifics about their housing policy, refinancing, new mortgage regulations and mortgage interest deduction all won on Election Day. Here’s what President Obama’s reelection means for homeowners.
While Mitt Romney talked about economic stimulus throughout much of the campaign, the Obama Administration made it easier for homeowners to refinance with historic low mortgage rates and plans to make refinancing available to even more borrowers in the next four years. Refinancing gives homeowners more spending money and is a form of economic stimulus. Housing policies that help for folks on the verge of losing their homes are still in the works.
New mortgage regulations are coming like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau established by the Dodd-Frank Act. Set to take effect by January 2013, these new mortgage standards will trigger legal and financial implications for lenders should a mortgage be judged to be beyond a borrower’s ability to repay. Critics of the Dodd-Frank Act, like Mitt Romney, have argued that such a plan holds back mortgage lending. Legislators will need to strike a delicate balance between giving lenders the incentive to expand mortgage credit while also protecting consumers from high risk loans. Continue reading “What President Obama’s Reelection Means for Homeowners”