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Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
Create a $10 billion fund to help homeowners refinance or sell their homes. "The Fund will not help speculators, people who bought vacation homes or people who falsely represented their incomes."
Sources: "Obama: Protecting Home Ownership and Cracking Down on Mortgage Fraud"
Subjects: Economy, Housing, PolitiFact's Top Promises
Obama unveils plan to aid homeowners
Updated: Thursday, February 19th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan
What a difference a year makes. In 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama talked about a plan to help homeowners with subprime mortgages refinance loans or sell their homes. About $10 billion should suffice, he said at the time.
The months went by, the economy worsened, and Obama won the election. On Feb. 18, 2009, President Obama unveiled his plan. Price tag: $75 billion.
By providing incentives to both lenders and borrowers, the plan allows some homeowners to refinance loans. It excludes investors, speculators, people who fraudulently obtained loans, and people who purchased homes so beyond their means that even refinancing won't help them.
"The plan I’m announcing focuses on rescuing families who have played by the rules and acted responsibly," Obama said. "It will give millions of families resigned to financial ruin a chance to rebuild. It will prevent the worst consequences of this crisis from wreaking even greater havoc on the economy. And by bringing down the foreclosure rate, it will help to shore up housing prices for everyone."
The plan may end up more expensive than $75 billion because it also provides a guarantee of up to $200 billion in capital for federal mortgage holders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That guarantee may or may not be necessary, said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
A few parts of Obama's overall plan require approval from Congress, but most of the money comes from the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, that Congress approved in 2008, Geithner said.
By putting $75 billion toward the program, Obama exceeded the terms of his campaign promise. Promise Kept.
Sources:
The White House Web site, President Obama's Housing Plan , Feb. 18, 2009
The White House Web site, Press Briefing with Treasury Secretary Geithner, HUD Secretary Donovan, and FDIC Chairman Bair , Feb. 18, 2009
The Boston Globe, President steers $275b to housing , Feb. 19, 2009
The Boston Globe, Questions, answers about the program , Feb. 19, 2009
Bloomberg.com, Obama housing plan questions and answers , Feb. 18, 2009
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