Treasury Pledges Up to $9.9B Under Loan Mod Program

WASHINGTON — The Treasury said Wednesday it will pay the mortgage-servicing arms of CitiGroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and four others a combined maximum of $9.9 billion to modify home loans and avoid foreclosures.

The payments are part of a $75 billion incentive plan aimed at stemming the foreclosure crisis.

The Department said it has finalized arrangements with six mortgage servicers to participate in the effort: Chase Home Finance LLC, Wells Fargo Bank NA, CitiMortgage Inc., GMAC Mortgage Inc., Saxon Mortgage Services Inc. and Select Portfolio Servicing.

Under the plan unveiled by the Obama administration last month, Chase could get more than one-third of the $9.9 billion. It has been allotted up to $3.6 billion for loan-modification incentives. Wells Fargo has been allotted $2.87 billion and CitiMortgage was allotted $2.07 billion. GMAC has been allotted $633 million, Saxon $407 million and Select Portfolio $376 million.

The figures are based on each companies' volume of business, a senior Treasury official said.

The payments to servicers wouldn't kick in until a modified loan survives a 90-day trial period. The earliest servicers could expect to begin receiving incentive payments in June.

The loan modification effort calls for the government to pay servicers a $1,000 one-time fee to reduce borrowers' payments to 38% of their income for five years. The government would then match the cost of further interest-rate reductions or other measures intended to bring mortgage payments down to 31% of borrowers' income. The government would pay servicers up to $1,000 a year for up to three years if borrowers stay in the program.

Borrowers and investors also are slated to receive incentives aimed at spurring the savior of "responsible" homeowners from foreclosures.

The administration expects the program could aid between 3 million and 4 million homeowners.

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