Amendment #816 to H4100

To create jobs by increasing disposable income

Mr. Winslow of Norfolk moves to amend the bill by inserting at the end thereof the following sections:-

“SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, herein referred to as the agency, shall establish an enhanced mortgage refinance program for real property located in the commonwealth to provide mortgage refinance products to all eligible participants.  For the purpose of this section, eligible participants shall be all persons who reside in the Commonwealth who meet the following eligibility criteria: (1) has been assigned a credit rating greater than six hundred and eighty by each of the three major credit bureaus; (2) holds no history of default; (3) holds no history of bankruptcy; and (4) is not currently in default of mortgage payments due.

(b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, $100 million shall be encumbered from the Commonwealth Stabilization fund, established under section 2 of chapter 29, to be pledged to the agency as a mortgage refinance guarantee.

(c) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the agency may charge a reasonable fee, as determined by the agency, to cover the expenses of administering the program and any liability that may arise given an anticipated rate of default; provided, however, that the fee charged to each borrower for mortgage refinance product shall not exceed 10% of the difference between the annual payment on the original mortgage and that of the refinanced mortgage.

(d) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, said guarantee on a refinanced mortgage sold to a borrower by the agency shall expire upon the sale of the property, at the time the borrower has refinanced with another lender, or at such time as the amount outstanding on the mortgage falls below 80% of the real property’s assessed value.”