Fannie Mae Refi Solution Helps Underwater Homeowners

Are you stuck with high mortgage interest, but think you can't refinance because you owe more than the house is worth? You may still be able to qualify for a Fannie Mae Refi Plus loan.

You can get a refi for up to 125 percent of your home's value. That means if the current market value is $200,000, you can get a mortgage up to $250,000. So even if your house is underwater, if you're stuck with a loan above 6 percent, you should still talk with your lender about a Fannie Mae Refi Plus loan. You may also want to use this program to lock in a low fixed rate, if you still have an adjustable rate mortgage.

The loan must currently be owned by Fannie Mae. You can find out if your loan is eligible by using the Fannie Mae lookup tool. If you find out your loan is owned by Fannie Mae, your next step is to call your loan servicer. You can find out if your servicer is in the Fannie Mae network and a contact number for him using Fannie Mae's search tool.

The refinance process for Fannie Mae has been streamlined and you may not even need to get an appraisal or credit check, as long as you have been paying your mortgage on time.