$13 Billion JPMorgan Settlement Includes $4 Billion In Consumer Relief

Today, it’s expected that JPMorgan Chase and various federal agencies will announce a settlement worth a total of $13 billion to put to bed numerous bank-related investigations tied to mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. And about 30% of that money is reportedly earmarked for some form of consumer relief.

According to the Wall Street Journal, somewhere between $1.5-1.7 billion will go toward principal write-downs on JPMorgan-held loans where the value of the mortgage is now higher than the value of the house. However, it’s believed that these write-downs will not apply for properties that are still above a certain price threshold.

Another $300,000 to $500,000 will be put toward restructuring other loans to reduce monthly payments.

Then there is the remaining $2 billion of this relief money, which is still a bit vague at the moment. The Journal reports that some of this will go toward assisting new mortgage originations for low- and moderate-income consumers. A portion may end up going to cleaning up properties in distressed areas or tearing down homes deemed ready for the wrecking ball.

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