Americans Surprised by Housing Bust Aftershock

Reuters
Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Thousands of Americans who lost their homes in the housing bust now face more unpleasant fallout as debt collectors chase them down for the money they still owe. By now, banks have usually sold the houses. But the proceeds of those sales were often not enough to cover the amount of the loan, plus penalties, legal bills and fees. Now, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as other mortgage players, are increasingly pressing borrowers to pay. Before the housing bubble, banks often refrained from seeking deficiency judgments, which were seen as costly and bad publicity. But the housing crisis saddled lenders with more than $1 trillion of foreclosed loans, leading to unprecedented losses. Now, some large lenders want their money back.