Issue Position: Housing

Issue Position

Families need to know they have a place to call home. Our local economy will not recover meaningfully until the housing market begins to revive. That won't happen until the government encourages lenders and homeowners to adjust their expectations to current market conditions. To reverse the decline in the housing markets, the answer may lie in asking banks to adjust mortgage terms in return for equity in home values. Banks cannot ignore non-performing loans while unemployed homeowners cannot make payments on underwater homes. The banks and homeowners need to talk; the government needs to pass enabling accounting and legal regulations that facilitate the process. This way, the banks don't destroy their balance sheets while homeowners have a place to live. At the end of the day, the goal is to allow our families to stay in there homes and remain members of our communities while preserving the financial health of our banking system.

Source