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Compliance October 22, 2007
Lawmaker Proposes Penalty-Free Retirement Account Withdrawals for Mortgage Payments
October 22, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Minnesota
Senator Norm Coleman has proposed legislation that would
allow individuals who are 60 days late on their mortgage
payments to dip into their 401(k) or individual retirement
accounts (IRA) with out paying a penalty.
Reported by Adrien Martin
According to a press release, the Home Ownership Mortgage Emergency Act (HOME) is meant to help these homeowners avoid foreclosure.
The Republican lawmaker’s proposal would allow these individuals to withdraw up to $100,000 without paying the standard 10% early withdrawal penalty through 2009. There would be no income tax payment required as long as the withdrawals are paid back within three years.
For joint filers, the amount would be limited to borrowers making no more than $114,000 or $166,000.
“I have been troubled by the increase in the
number of foreclosures to date, and the projections that
the worst is still to come,” said Coleman, in the
press release. “While there is no one single
solution to the housing crisis, my bill offers a
reasonable and measured effort that can help folks stay
in their homes in these difficult times. We should not
penalize them for trying to keep a roof over their head
and I urge my colleagues to support this measure as we
seek to help out homeowners in trouble.”
Foreclosures in the U.S. have doubled in the last year,
and more than 14.5% of subprime mortgages are past due,
according to the press release.