A Loan Modification Plan

By Ahmad Sulaiman

As a homeowner, if you’re drowning in debt, you may feel helpless and fear that your lenders will start filing for foreclosure in the near future. However, Ahmad Sulaiman, an experienced foreclosure attorney of Sulaiman Law and Associates in Illinois, wants you to realize that options are still available to help you avoid foreclosure and keep your home.

According to Sulaiman, a favorable option for many homeowners is a possible loan modification. The main goal of a loan modification is to help you find a payment plan for your mortgage that you can actually afford. This option works great for homeowners who still have a steady income, but because of interest rates, a decrease in wages, or personal struggles, they can no longer afford their monthly payments and are falling deeper into debt.

Agreement between Both Parties
A loan modification is designed to reinstate the loan and refers to changing and adjusting the terms of the original mortgage. It is an agreement between the homeowner and the lender to allow the former to continue making payments upon a program tailor-made between the two parties. Through a loan modification, lenders will get the money that is owed without having to take a major loss, and they can avoid the foreclosure process. Though it may seem like lenders are willing to take away homes, all they really are after is their money.

It is difficult to describe a standard loan modification plan, as no two circumstances are exactly the same. It may be plausible to negotiate a loan modification on your own. But typically, the process goes much smoother when you consult first with an attorney who has experience in this area of the law. In some instances, it may even require you to sue the bank because illegal actions were committed with regard to your initial loan. From that point, the homeowner and the lender will proceed into litigation and the agreement will be worked out in court.

Unchanged Principal Amount
While the modification does lower your payment initially, I also remind clients not to anticipate a cut in the principal amount that is owed to the bank. If your loan was originally $300,000, don’t expect that the lender will modify your loan to only $200,000. Instead, what is likely to happen is that your payments will be lowered, but the time that you have to pay back the loan will increase.

For example, if your initial loan is over a 30-year period at an interest rate of 8.5%, then through loan modification negotiations, your lawyer may be able lower you interest rate to 5%, decrease the amount you owe each month, and extend your loan to 40 years. Now, instead of struggling to come up with money at the end of the month, you can confidently pay your mortgage on time.

This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Neither publication of this article nor your receipt of this article create an attorney-client relationship.

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About The Author
Ahmad Sulaiman is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find alawyer or more local.yodle.com/articles/topics/legal-servic es/">lawyers articles at Yodle Consumer Guide.