Fannie, Freddie to expand refinance program: source

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will expand their foreclosure-prevention efforts and refinance homeowners whose loan-to-value ratio is 125 percent, an administration source said on Wednesday.

Under current rules, the mortgage finance companies may refinance only borrowers whose mortgage loan-to-value ratio is 105 percent. The new policy is intended to aid more struggling borrowers who have seen their property lose value in the recent years of a housing crisis.

(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)