Why Government Programs Failed

The Obama administration’s initial foreclosure-prevention programs, launched in early 2009, were intended to help 7 million to 9 million people. So far, they’ve aided about 2 million, and not all of those are out of foreclosure danger.


Programs begun later have also faltered. One intended to help at least 500,000 has helped just a few hundred a year after its launch. Another initiative to extend $1 billion to help the jobless or underemployed avoid foreclosure ended in September, obligating less than half of its funds. The unused money went back to the U.S. Treasury.

As of Nov. 30, the government had spent just $2.8 billion of the $46 billion it had declared in 2009 that it would spend to help resolve the housing crisis, the Treasury Department says. More has been committed, but ultimately a only fraction will be spent, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Since 2009 approximately 2.5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure. An additional 4 million are in the foreclosure process or seriously delinquent, while housing and unemployment issues continue.

Every program that was proposed to help troubled homeowners has fallen short or failed outright. Not even one has been successful. I've yet to see any efforts to help the unemployed find employment. The administration has somehow created a way in which large corporations realize that they can be more profitable with fewer blue collar employees.

The administration’s programs were destined for failure by design flaws, their reliance on a mortgage industry overwhelmed by a historic collapse in home prices, and a brutal extended housing downturn. Nor could they overcome the interests of mortgage investors unwilling to surrender profits and mortgage servicers with greater financial incentives to foreclose on loans than to modify them..

"There was nowhere near the effort to help Main Street as there was to help the banks,” says former senator Ted Kaufman, D-Del., who chaired a congressional oversight panel that oversaw $475 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds. Most of that went to banks and the auto industry.

Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said in a recent interview that some administration programs “haven’t reached as many people as we originally targeted.”

Those shortfalls are glaringly evident.

Why Struggling Homeowners Get No Help

The administrative mistakes of the largest lenders is surpassed only by their arrogance.

With all the rhetoric spewed on American homeowners by banks and politicians about "continued efforts" to help struggling homeowners you would think that the now depressingly familiar stories of lenders unwilling to help would have stopped. People who deal with mortgage lenders and borrowers hoping for help know that the horror stories continue.


Big banks like J.P.Morgan Chase, Bank of America & Wells Fargo are realizing unprecedented profits.They measure their assets in trillions of dollars. Helping struggling homeowners is not a priority. They make no mistake about that. Bank of America & Wells Fargo have announced that they are cutting 30,0000 jobs. A move likely designed to appease shareholders and likely detrimental to anyone hoping that they may get help through a mortgage modification or some other "foreclosure alternative" they've applied for.

Together the George W.Bush and Obama administration spent over a trillion dollars of taxpayer money to bail out big banks and corporations with no requirement to utilize any portion of that taxpayer money to help struggling homeowners. No "quid pro quo" as it's called. No responsibility or obligation to help hundreds of thousands of struggling homeowners while these same corporations continue to enjoy tremendous profits. The struggle to hold big banks accountable is somehow delegated to state and local governments. Most of these fights are insignificant. They are merely a nuisance to big banks because of their size and financial clout. NY City officials consider banking as important to them as the auto industry is to Detroit.

The Obama administrations parade of mortgage relief programs have failed miserably, largely due to the lack of any requirement by lenders to adhere to them. Any government program that has been touted by the administration as mortgage relief attaches financial incentives for banks. Like a reward for a good grade. It's like asking banks to choose between record profits or "atta boy"

What does it take for the American people to wake up? What would it take for the American public to say "no more"? I struggle everyday with these questions and I always come away with this. I know that the answers are in the American public, not the politicians, not the power mongers and not the corporate giants feeding off taxpayer money. Unless we Americans regain control of "our government" we will continue to spend days and nights struggling for answers in our own lives.

George Sinacori
GES Real Estate, LLC

Homebuyer Tax Credit Changes

Congress has extended and expanded the homebuyer tax credit. The modifications extend through April 30, 2010” and become effective when the President signs the bill. Ideally Dec.01. Changes made to the current credit become effective on that date, as well. Most significantly the time allowed has been extended through April 30, 2010 for contracts and through July for closings. i.e.: A contract after April 30,20010 with a June closing would not be eligible. Income limits have been increased for both single and
married couples and the tax credit is not limited to firsttime homebuyers. A cap on the price of an eligible home will become $800,000. where there previously wasn't any. Following is an outline of these changes as published by the NAR.


Firsttime Buyer –
Amount of Credit $8000 ($4000 married filing separate)
Firsttime Buyer Definition for eligibility: may not have had an interest in a principal residence for 3 years prior to purchase



Current Homeowner –
Amount of Credit $6500 ($3250 married filing separate)


Definition of eligibility - Must have used the home sold or being sold as a principal residence
consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years



Termination of Credit - Purchases after April 30, 2010
So long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.



Income Limits -
(Note: Increased income limits are effective as of date of enactment of bill)
$125,000 – single $225,000 – married
Additional $20,000 phase out



Limitation on Cost of purchased home
$800,000 effective date of enactment



Purchase by a Dependent is ineligible effective the date of enactment.



Antifraud Rule - Purchaser must attach documentation of purchase to tax return.



If you have questions regarding the newly expanded Homebuyer Tax Credit please call or email me directly. George Sinacori 561-306-6736 - rebuygeorge@yahoo.com

The photo above is a 3BR 21/2 bath 2 car garage home in NW Deerfield Beach, FL and is priced in the low $200,000. See this and more great home listings at http://ges-realty.com