HARP 3.0 Bills Chances Hurt by Two-Year Extension
April 26, 2013
The Federal Housing Finance Agencys recent extension of the Home Affordable Refinance Program has significantly lessened the already slim prospects of any so-called HARP 3.0 legislation advancing through Congress, say analysts. The Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2013, by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, and Barbara Boxer, D-CA, had already been struggling to gain traction in Congress amid the steady volume of HARP refis in recent months and Republican resistance to expanding current HARP eligibility requirements. HARP had been scheduled to expire at the end of this year before the FHFAs directive to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier this month to extend the refi program through Dec. 31, 2015.