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Refinancing Blues: Bankruptcy Making My HARP Application a Nightmare
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Been trying to refinance through HARP after my bankruptcy, and honestly, it's been one headache after another. Feels like lenders see "bankruptcy" and immediately shut down. Anyone else hitting this wall or is it just my rotten luck?
2 replies
Yeah, lenders definitely get skittish around bankruptcies - been there myself. Couple things I've noticed:
- Even though HARP is supposed to help folks who've had financial setbacks, lenders still have their own internal guidelines. Bankruptcy can trigger extra scrutiny.
- Time since discharge matters a lot. If you're fresh out, it's tougher. After a couple years, things ease up a bit.
- Smaller credit unions or local banks sometimes have more flexibility than big national lenders.
Hang in there... refinancing post-bankruptcy is doable, just takes patience and persistence.
Definitely agree smaller banks can be more flexible, but don't count on it too much - still gotta jump through hoops. I'd suggest pulling your credit report first, fix any errors, then approach local lenders. Worked better for me than big banks did.
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