According to online real estate marketplace Zillow, there are approximately 13 million US homes with mortgages in a negative equity situation. In addition to negative equity, hardships and rising interest rates have left many homeowners unable to afford their monthly mortgage payments. For many families, the only hope they have of keeping their homes is to secure a loan modification that reduces their payments and makes their home affordable.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has attempted to ease the foreclosure crisis with programs designed to encourage lenders to modify loans and provide homeowners with tools and resources to assist them in obtaining a loan modification.

So you've missed a payment on your Illinois home. Any number of a various set of circumstances has conspired to affect your income and consequently your ability to keep up with your obligations. You held it together as long as you could, but now the unthinkable has happened and you are late on your mortgage. You may feel alone, embarrassed, and quite afraid of being foreclosed upon. Well cheer up homeowner because you are not alone and there is no need to be embarrassed or fear the foreclosure process in Illinois.

Illinois is a judicial foreclosure state, which means that the foreclosure process in Illinois requires certain steps to be taken by your lender before they can take possession of your home. In other words, this means you have some time to fix this. If you're into legalese, you can read the entire statute here, however if you're just looking for some unbiased information and perhaps a little help for your situation, continue reading.

Loan Modification and the Homeowner: What You Need to Know About Loan Modification Packages

If you have received a a foreclosure notice or missed a few mortgage payments, know that you are not alone. In 2012, an estimated 2.1 million foreclosure filings were made in the United States. More than ever, Americans are finding themselves facing the repossession of their homes due to any number of reasons, including a sudden fall in property value paired with increased interest rates and unanticipated hardships including a loss or decrease in wages, debilitating illnesses, death in the family, or adjustable rate increases. If you have received a home foreclosure notice, or are about to miss a mortgage payment, don’t panic just yet. Contacting your mortgage lender and seeking professional counsel regarding a loan modification package can significantly improve your chances of escaping foreclosure and creating a sustainable payment plan.

Foreclosure Process in New York

If you live in New York and are facing a foreclosure or are in the process of foreclosure, do not give up hope of keeping your home. The foreclosure process is New York is lengthy, taking generally 445 days, or 15 months, from the date the owner misses the first mortgage payment to the foreclosed sale of the home. Throughout this period, lender or loan servicers must file and send the proper paperwork, giving the homeowner plenty of time to find alternative and viable options to regaining control of the process.

The loan modification process in Florida may be the answer for you if you purchased a home in Florida near the peak of the real estate market about six years ago. You, like many other borrowers, may have experienced problems building home equity over the past several years. You either have no equity in your property or an “underwater mortgage.”

An underwater or “upside-down” mortgage refers to a situation when the homeowner has negative equity in the home—the person owes more on the loan than the market value of the home.

Florida Foreclosure Case Management Conferences

If you’re a homeowner who’s behind on your mortgage payments and in foreclosure in Florida, you may be scheduled for a case management conference. What is a case management conference and where does it come into play during foreclosure proceedings?

When Payments Fall Behind

The prospect of facing the foreclosure process in Florida can be a scary one. Most homeowners try to stall the foreclosure process by first seeking out loan modifications.

David Ramos is one of the nation's foremost experts in home loan modification. He has helped over 5,000 homeowners stay in their homes, and now works with lawyers to save homeowners as Operations Manager at Amerihope Alliance Legal Serviceswhich is a law firm that concentrates on foreclosure defense. Today, I asked him about what the government should do to help homeowners.

Interviewer: If you were President, what is the one thing you'd do to help homeowners who need a home loan modification?

David Ramos: “To understand the changes I would make, you need to first understand what the situation in the loan modification industry is today. Before Wall Street got involved with home loans, the loan modification system was a lot more simple. If a client's mortgage was with Chase Bank, for example, then we would just call the bank directly and work with them. When subprime lending was in vogue and Wall Street became involved with home loans, loans were no longer owned by single banks, they were often owned by groups of investors who purchased them on the secondary market.

When you default paying your mortgage, the lender can initiate the foreclosure process on your home. The foreclosure process is usually stressful and scary. What do you do when you have a foreclosure sale date in a few months?

When you receive a foreclosure sale date notice from the court, you should act fast and contact a competent foreclosure attorney to determine your options to stopping the sale. Even with the foreclosure sale date in place, the lawyer can still get the date postponed and find ways to save your home.

You may be like millions of other home owners who have suffered setbacks that have made it difficult to afford your current mortgage. Consequently, you may have become delinquent  with your mortgage payments and face foreclosure.  

The reasons for financial struggles vary, including illness, job layoff, divorce, or other circumstances. Many borrowers have underwater mortgages, owe more than the home is worth and are seeking financial relief.

However, many homeowners do not understand that it may be possible to obtain loan modification help.

A loan modification changes the terms of your current home loan; common results include a lower interest rate or a lengthened loan term to reduce your monthly mortgage payments.