From Inman News.

The Good

For the first time ever, on Nov. 1 Fannie and Freddie plan to allow mortgage servicers to begin accepting short-sale packages from nondelinquent borrowers who can demonstrate hardships like the loss of a job or death of a spouse. Under previous rules, only delinquent homeowners could qualify.

The Bad

As of today, under current national credit reporting practices, those nondelinquent borrowers are likely to be treated the same for credit scoring purposes as severely delinquent owners who go to foreclosure after months of nonpayment, or who simply toss back the house keys and walk away in strategic defaults.