Chicago Tribune

Marilyn Kennedy Melia
August 20, 2006

Illinois law HB 4050 aims to curtail risky loans before the loans are
made by counseling borrowers as they apply for a mortgage. Ten
ZIP codes on Chicago's Southwest Side were identified as a pilot area
for the law. They are 60620, 60621, 60623, 60628, 60629, 60632, 60636,
60638, 60643 and 60652. These ZIP codes were chosen because
research by the Chicago-based Woodstock Institute showed that these
areas had a high rate of foreclosure and also a high number of loans
with high rates and fees. While HB 4050 is designed to prevent
foreclosures, it's spawning a bigger problem, critics say, because its
requirements will inhibit lending and home purchases.

There's
no way of knowing how many loan applicants will be affected by HB-4050.
Borrowers with credit scores less than 620, or between 621 and 650 if
they're seeking "exotic" mortgages such as interest-only loans, are
required to go through counseling.

In Cook County, the average
credit score in 2004 was 639, according to studies by Matt Fellowes of
the Brookings Institution. His studies indicate that the average credit
score in the 10 ZIP codes, excluding 60638, is lower than the Chicago
metro average, though he can't pinpoint a precise score.

The law became effective at the beginning of this year but has taken some time to implement. Hence the September start date.

A fair number of mistakes are made by lending companies when they pay
property tax bills out of customers' escrow accounts. This year, the
second installment of Cook County tax bills are due Sept. 1. For about
the last decade, the bills were due later. It's always a good idea for
mortgage borrowers to log onto cookcountytreasurer.com and to check
whether their property taxes have been paid by their lender to ensure
that payment is received by Sept. 1, says Bob Benjamin, spokesman for
the Cook County Treasurer's office. – The end of the month is
the busiest time to close on a loan and move into a home. And August is
the end of the most popular season for families who want to settle in
before school starts, says Hank Shulruff, senior vice president of
Attorney's Title Guaranty Fund in Chicago.

People think they're
saving money by closing at month's end, but in many cases savings are
illusory. There is greater potential for missing or mistake-riddled
paperwork among the end-of flurry, says Shulruff.

If you're
closing in the middle of the month, you'll be required to bring money
to cover mortgage charges from, say, Aug. 15 until Aug. 31. That means
if your monthly mortgage bill is $1,000, you'll need about $500 at
closing, says Keith Gumbinger, of the mortgage data firm, HSH
Associates.

Mortgages are paid in arrears, meaning that the
bill due on the first day of the month reflects the charges for the
month you lived in the home. So if you're closing in the middle of the
month, your next mortgage bill isn't due until the beginning of October.

"A lot of first-time buyers don't like to bring a check to closing," says Gumbinger.

But the half-month that owners are no longer in their old home cuts the
amount due on their remaining mortgage. They are then able to keep more
of the proceeds from the sale of their home. The exception, Shulruff
says, is certain FHA mortgages, whereby borrowers must pay off an
entire month regardless of timing.