A plan to refinance or freeze the interest rates on up to 1.2 million subprime adjustable-rate mortgages for five years is not a "silver bullet" solution for all homeowners, but will help reduce the impact of the housing downturn on the economy and communities affected by foreclosures, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Thursday.

Paulson was the point man as the Bush administration rolled out a much-anticipated agreement with mortgage lenders and loan servicers in the face of criticism not only from consumer advocates -- some say it won't help enough borrowers -- but warnings from some in the lending industry who said an interest rate freeze could discourage investors from financing future loans.

The agreement has the backing of the American Securitization Forum, which represents companies that issue mortgage backed securities, as well as investors, loan servicers and rating agencies. ASF Executive Director George Miller said the agreement provides a common framework to evaluate borrowers’ situations, and expedites processes for loan servicers to pursue refinancing and loan modification options on a more systematic basis.

The ASF today published a 34-page document outlining procedures for servicers to follow in streamlining refinancings or loan modifications on ARM loans that are scheduled to reset in the next 2 1/2 years.

Paulson said he hoped that the guidelines would be adopted as "customary standard practice across the entire servicing industry," because the current system would "not be sufficient" to handle the 1.8 million owner-occupied subprime ARM resets expected in 2008 and 2009.

According to the framework, loans eligible for streamlined refinancing or modification such as an interest rate freeze must be ARM loans on owner-occupied homes originated between Jan. 1, 2005 and July 31, 2007, with an initial interest rate reset between Jan. 1, 2008 and July 31, 2010.

Under the guidelines, only borrowers with FICO scores less than 660 and facing an increase in monthly payments greater than 10 percent will be eligible for fast-track loan modifications. Borrowers who don't meet the "FICO test" may qualify for loan modifications after individual reviews of their current income and debt obligations.

Although the Bush administration says up to 1.2 million ARM loans may be eligible for refinancing or modifications, the Center for Responsible Lending, estimated that a much smaller number of families -- perhaps 145,000 -- will actually see any relief.

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