Pederson Properties, Inc.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 1324.8 for the week ending Jan. 9, an increase of 15.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 1143.8 one week earlier, according to the most recent report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 95.7 percent for the week ending Jan. 9, compared with the previous week and was up 52.4 percent compared with the same week one year earlier.

The Refinance Index increased 25.6 percent to 7414.1 for the week ending Jan. 9, compared with 5904.5 the previous week, and the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 14.1 percent for the week ending Jan. 9, compared with 295.8 344.2 one week earlier. The Refinance Index is at its highest level since the week ending June 2003, according to the report.

The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 85.3 percent of total applications for the week ending Jan. 9, compared with 79.8 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 1.1 percent for the week ending Jan. 9, compared with 0.9 percent of total applications from the previous week, according to the report.

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The Internal Revenue Service kicked off the 2009 tax filing season by announcing a number of new steps to help financially distressed taxpayers maximize their refunds and speed payments while providing additional help to people struggling to meet their tax obligations.

Among the areas where the IRS can provide assistance:

Postponement of Collection Actions: IRS employees will have greater authority to suspend collection actions in certain hardship cases where taxpayers are unable to pay. This includes instances when the taxpayer has recently lost a job, is relying solely on Social Security or welfare income or is facing devastating illness or significant medical bills. If an individual has recently encountered this type of financial problem, IRS assistors may be able to suspend collection without documentation to minimize burden on the taxpayer.

Added Flexibility for Missed Payments: The IRS is allowing more flexibility for previously compliant individuals in existing Installment Agreements who have difficulty making payments because of a job loss or other financial hardship. The IRS may allow a skipped payment or a reduced monthly payment amount without automatically suspending the Installment Agreement. Taxpayers in a difficult financial situation should contact the IRS.

Additional Review for Offers in Compromise on Home Values: An Offer in Compromise (OIC), an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer's tax debt for less than the full amount owed, may be a viable option for taxpayers experiencing economic difficulties. However, the equity taxpayers have in real property can be a barrier to an OIC being accepted. With the uncertainty in the housing market, the IRS recognizes that the real-estate valuations used to assess ability to pay may not be accurate. So in instances where the accuracy of local real-estate valuations is in question or other unusual hardships exist, the IRS is creating a new second review of the information to determine if accepting an offer is appropriate.

Prevention of Offer in Compromise Defaults: Taxpayers who are unable to meet the periodic payment terms of an accepted OIC will be able to contact the IRS office handling the offer for available options to help them avoid default.

Expedited Levy Releases: The IRS will speed the delivery of levy releases by easing requirements on taxpayers who request expedited levy releases for hardship reasons. Taxpayers seeking expedited releases for levies to an employer or bank should contact the IRS number shown on the notice of levy to discuss available options. When calling, taxpayers requesting a levy release due to hardship should be prepared to provide the IRS with the fax number of the bank or employer processing the levy.

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Freddie Mac is extending its suspension of all foreclosure sales and evictions involving occupied single family and 2-4 unit properties with Freddie Mac-owned mortgages through January 31, 2009. The suspension does not apply to vacant single family properties.

The extension will also provide servicers with more time to help troubled borrowers find an alternative to foreclosure and implement the Streamlined Modification Program that went into operation on December 15, 2008. Developed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), HOPE Now and 27 mortgage servicers, the Streamlined Modification Program was designed to expedite loan modifications for eligible borrowers who have missed three or more mortgage payments.

For additional information on the Freddie Mac program, click here.

Fannie Mae is extending the suspension of foreclosure sales and evictions from single-family properties through January 31, 2009.

This action will enable the company to work with mortgage servicers to further implement the Streamlined Modification Program (SMP) announced on November 11, 2008 and initiated on December 15, 2008. The extension will also provide additional time for the company to operationalize its new National REO Rental Policy, which will allow renters in company-owned foreclosed properties to stay in their homes. Details of the new policy are expected to be announced shortly.

For additional information about the Fannie Mae program, click here.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced it will expedite its process of providing relief from federal tax liens for distressed homeowners. With over one million current federal tax liens against real and personal property, the IRS announcement should help REALTORS® and their clients resolve federal tax lien issues in their sale and loan transactions.

As background, a homeowner seeking to sell or refinance a property must generally pay off an existing federal tax lien. However, during the current economic downturn, many homeowners don't have the cash or equity to do so. Hence, for a refinance, the homeowner may request that the IRS makes its tax lien subordinate or secondary to the lien of the refinancing lender. For a sale, the homeowner may, under certain circumstances, request that the IRS discharge its claim. The IRS's processing time for subordination or discharge requests has been about 30 days. The IRS is currently working to expedite that time frame to help distressed homeowners. For IRS instructions on requesting relief from federal tax liens, go to the IRS Publication 783 for discharges and Publication 784 for subordinations at www.irs.gov.