my lender just told me new rules to the harp program are if 2 people are currently on the mortgage, co-borrowers can't be removed?

Not true. Current rules require you to prove you alone have been making the payment, and you can remove the other person. NEW RULES just coming out now allow you to remove a person with no additional requirements

Completely false, whoever told you that is a dolt and doesn't know the rules. If you can qualify for the loan on your own then you can refinance under HARP into your name alone as borrower.

HARP rules and lender rules are two separate things.. HARP does allow the removal of co borrowers, so long as at least one of the original signers are still on the loan, you're ok.. However lenders have their own set of rules and guidelines... it could be that your lender is not allowing this type of transaction.. if your lender is a bank, then it makes sense.. since banks have a very narrow loan product selection and they are usually full of additional guidelines... if your mortgage broker is telling you this, then you need to find another broker, since it would be obvious he's not up to date on the current guidelines... I'm a Broker here in Scottsdale AZ and I only lend in Arizona. If you or someone you know is looking for financing options, feel free to contact me or pass along my information. 480-287-5714 WilliamAcres.com

Your first mistake was going back to your current lender. What you were told is what we refer to as a "lender overlay". No such rule exists for HARP, but each lender willing to make a loan has the right to add additional requirements or restrictions for the loans they are willing to do. Your lender is taking a harder stance than Fannie Mae. My advice is to contact a local Mortgage Banker /Broker. DON'T use one of the big banks, DON'T use one of the big national Mortgage factories, and DON'T use the people you are currently making payments to. Not only is your bank adding unnecessary restrictions, they are probably overcharging you too. The local or regional Mortgage Banker/Broker is better equipped to handle the volume. We tend to be much more nimble. Another benefit is that your local Mortgage Banker has access to all the lending sources, allowing for an easier fit into the lender or program that makes the most sense for you. Whoever you choose, make sure you check them out at the National Mortgage Licensing System at www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org ~ Bert Carpenter, The LoansA2z team of NOVA Home Loans ~ NMLS 40586 ~ Licensed in California and Arizona ~ www.LoansA2z.com 888-889-9950

Not true. You can indeed remove co-borrowers from a loan as long as one original borrower remains on the loan.

If you can take the co-borrower off the title and the loan you can remove them from the loan with the HARP loan.

It's also possible that your lender has what is called an "overlay" - essentially tighter requirements than are allowed under HARP guidelines. Or, perhaps you misunderstood them or they didn't understand your question, but as others have said it looks like you got the wrong info.

No that is not the case. You can add or remove a borrower to the HARP 2.0 files. There is probably more to this story. More than likely you need the income or assets from the coborrower to get you approval in either LP or DU