Hoffman Estates, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/26/2012 -- More people than ever with homes in distress are able to refinance under the HARP 2.0 program. This bodes well for homeowners looking to reduce their interest rates and lower their monthly mortgage payments.

The only problem is that still many Illinois homeowners don't know the program exists.

Illinois mortgage originator, Allan Freitag educates his potential clients on the basics of this program at his Online HARP Refinance Information Center.

Freitag explains that the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) is a streamline refinance program created to help responsible borrowers who have continued to make their mortgage payments, but may be unable to refinance over recent years due to a decline in their home value.

In October 2011, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac along with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced modifications to the Home Affordable Refinance Program to make it easier for lenders to refinance mortgages in Illinois.

With the changes announced to the HARP eligibility guidelines (now called HARP 2.0), more homeowners than ever are now eligible to refinance at lower interest rates.

According to Freitag, the relaxed stipulations of the HARP 2.0 program have already resulted in a large amount of loan modifications. Those Illinois homeowners with high LTVs (Loan-to-Value ratios) and less than perfect credit scores have been able to successfully refinance their homes.

You May Be Eligible For A HARP Refinance If:

1) Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owned or guaranteed your home loan.

2) Your loan was sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac before May 31, 2009.

3) Your mortgage is current for the last six months.

4) You owe more than your home is worth, or is there minimal equity in your home.

5) Your mortgage has not already been refinanced through HARP in the past, unless it happens to be a Fannie Mae loan that underwent a HARP refinance between March and May 2009.

6) You have no more than one late payment over the past 12 months.

7) Your loan is not an FHA, USDA or Jumbo Mortgage.

Call Allan Freitag at 847-885-2020 or visit our HARP Refinance Center and fill out our Quick 1 Step Eligibility Form to see if you qualify for this new program.

For Answers to Your HARP Questions: http://illinois-harp-help.com