NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
®
HAFA Program
HOME AFFORDABLE
FORECLOSURE ALTERNATIVES
In early 2009,
the National Association of REALTORS
®
(NAR) urged the U.S. Treasury Department,
the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to improve the
short sales process.
NAR’s concerns were fi rst addressed on May 14, 2009, when the Obama
Administration announced the outline of a program to provide incentives and
uniform procedures for short sales and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL)
under the Making Home Affordable Program.
The Obama Administration released guidelines and uniform forms for its Home
Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) on November 30, 2009 and
released an updated version on March 26, 2010. April 5, 2010 was the effective
date for the program.
Modifi ed HAFA rules for loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
were still being developed as of April 28, 2010 (check www.REALTOR.org/shortsales
for updates). HAFA does not apply to FHA or VA loans.
HAFA is a program primarily designed for homeowners who are unable to stay in their
home even with a loan modifi cation under the Home Affordable Modifi cation Program
(HAMP). Under HAFA, homeowners may be able to avoid a foreclosure by selling the
home as a “short sale” (where the value of the home is less than the remaining
amount of the mortgage) or by transferring title to the lender through a process called
a “deed-in-lieu of foreclosure.”
HAFA:
• Complements HAMP by providing a viable alternative for borrowers (the current
homeowners) who are HAMP eligible but nevertheless unable to keep their home.
• Uses borrower fi nancial and hardship information already collected under HAMP.
• Allows borrowers to receive preapproved short sales terms before listing the
property (including the minimum acceptable net proceeds and acceptable
closing costs).
• Requires borrowers to be fully released from future liability for the fi rst mortgage debt
and, if the subordinate lien holders receive an incentive under HAFA, those debts as
well (no cash contribution, promissory note or defi ciency judgment is allowed).
• Uses a standard process, uniform documents and deadlines.
• Provides fi nancial incentives: $3,000 for borrower relocation assistance; $1,500
for mortgage servicers to cover administrative and processing costs; and up to a
$2,000 match for mortgage investors for allowing a total of up to $6,000 in short
sale proceeds to be distributed to subordinate lien holders (up to 6 percent of the
remaining balance of each junior lien).
• Requires all servicers partici pating in HAMP to implement HAFA in accordance
with their own written policy, consistent with investor guidelines. The policy may
include factors such as the severity of the potential loss, local markets, timing of
pending foreclosure actions, and borrower motivation and cooperation.
• The program sunsets on December 31, 2012.
About HAFA
DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY AND NOTIFICATION
Servicers must consider HAMP-eligible borrowers for HAFA within 30
calendar days after the borrower does at least one of the following:
– Does not qualify for a HAMP trial period plan
– Does not successfully complete a HAMP trial period plan
– Is delinquent on a HAMP modifi cation (misses at least two
consecutive payments)
– Requests a short sale or DIL
If the servicer determines a borrower is eligible based on its written policy and
has not already discussed a short sale or DIL with the borrower, it must notify
the borrower in writing of these options and give the borrower
14 calendar days
to respond, orally or in writing. If the borrower does not respond, that ends the
servicer’s duty to give a HAFA offer. If the borrower asks for consideration but a
short sale or DIL is not available, the servicer must inform the borrower with an
explanation and provide a toll-free number.
SHORT SALE AGREEMENT
If the borrower is interested in a short sale, the servicer fi lls out the Short
Sale Agreement (SSA) and sends it to the borrower. The borrower has
14 calendar days from the date of the SSA to sign and return it to the servicer.
The real estate broker also must sign the SSA. The SSA must give the borrower
an initial period of 120 calendar days to sell the house (servicers may extend
up to a total of 12 months, if agreed to by the borrower).
SALE CONTRACT
Within 3 business days of receiving an executed sale contract, the borrower (or
real estate agent) must submit a completed Request for Approval of Short Sale
(RASS) to the servicer, including:
– a copy of the sale contract and all addenda
– buyer documentation of funds or preapproval/commitment letter from
a lender
– all information on the status of subordinate liens and/or negotiations with
subordinate lien holders.
Servicer Approval
Within 10 business days after the servicer receives the RASS and all required
attachments, the servicer must approve or deny the request and advise the
borrower (with a statement of the reasons in the case of disapproval).
CLOSING AND LIEN RELEASE
The servicer may require the closing to take place within a reasonable period
after it approves the RASS, but not sooner than 45 calendar days from the
date of the sales contract unless the borrower agrees.
The servicer must follow local or state laws to time the release of its fi rst
mortgage lien. If local or state law does not govern, the servicer must release
its fi rst mortgage lien within 30 business days. Investors must waive rights
to seek defi ciency judgments and may not require a promissory note for any
defi ciency. These rules also apply to junior lien holders receiving incentives.
Timeline
HAFA is a complex program with nearly 50 pages of guidelines and
forms. To help you better understand the process, NAR has prepared
some frequently asked questions that address the basics. For more
information on HAFA and more detailed NAR FAQs, please visit
www.REALTOR.org/shortsales.
FA
Q
s
Who is eligible for HAFA?
How is the program being implemented?
Supplemental Directive 09-09 (revised March 26, 2010) gives servicers
guidance for carrying out the program. Check www.REALTOR.org/shortsales
for future updates.
A Short Sale Agreement (SSA) will be sent by the servicer to the borrower
after determining the borrower is interested in, and eligible for, a short
sale and the property qualifi es. It informs the borrower how the program
works and the conditions that apply.
After the borrower contracts to sell the property, the borrower submits a
Request for Approval of Short Sale (RASS) to the servicer within three
business days for approval. If the borrower already has an executed sales
contract and asks the servicer to approve it before an SSA is executed,
the Alternative RASS is used instead. The servicer must still consider
the borrower for a loan modifi cation.
The borrower must meet the basic eligibility criteria for HAMP:
• Principal residence (including certain vacant properties for borrowers
who recently moved at least 100 miles for employment and meet
program requirements)
• First lien originated before 2009
• Mortgage delinquency or default is reasonably foreseeable
• Unpaid principal balance no more than $729,750 (higher limits for
two- to four-unit dwellings)
• Borrower’s total monthly payment exceeds 31 percent of gross income
What are the steps for evaluating a loan
to see if it is a candidate for HAFA?
What else should I know?
What are the HAFA rules regarding
real estate commissions?
• The servicer specifi es the amount of commission in the Short Sale
Agreement (SSA) as a “reasonable and customary” closing cost. The
borrower and the prospective real estate broker may negotiate with
the servicer on the terms of the SSA, including the commission.
• There is a different rule if the borrower submits an executed sales
contract to the servicer for approval before a SSA is executed. In that
case, the sales contract is submitted to the servicer with an Alternative
Request for Approval of Short Sale. The amount of the commission
in that case is the amount negotiated in the listing agreement, not to
exceed 6 percent.
• Neither buyers nor sellers may earn a commission in connection with
the short sale, even if they are licensed real estate brokers or agents.
They may not have any side deals to receive a commission indirectly.
• The deal must be “arms length.” Borrowers can’t list the property
or sell it to a relative or anyone else with whom they have a close
personal or business relationship.
• The amount of debt forgiven might be treated as income for tax
purposes. Under a law expiring at the end of 2012, however, forgiven
debt will not be taxed if the amount does not exceed the debt that
was used for acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of a principal
residence. Check with a tax advisor or the IRS.
• The servicer will report to the credit reporting agencies that the mortgage
was settled for less than full payment, which may hurt credit scores.
• Buyers may not reconvey the property for 90 days (no “fl ipping”).
1. Borrower solicitation and response
2. Assess expected recovery through foreclosure and disposition compared
to a HAFA short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure
3. Use of borrower fi nancial information from HAMP
4. Property valuation
5. Review of title
6. Borrower notice if short sale or DIL not available (to borrowers who have
expressed interest in HAFA)
May 2010
