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Loss Mitigation

First-Time Defaulters: An Underappreciated Customer Segment?

The housing crisis and the financial downturn that followed, without question, have profoundly altered the consumer lending landscape. According to the financial advisory firm Deloitte, one change that may be underappreciated is the rapid emergence of an important customer segment that could have powerful implications for lenders - the first-time defaulter. A survey conducted by the firm found that 11 percent of banking customers have experienced a negative credit event for the first time in their lives within the last two years.

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Cogent Releases Version 3.0 of Quality Control Software

Cogent QC Systems released Version 3.0 of its CogentQC.NET platform, which includes ServicingQC.NET for quality control of servicing processes as well as ProductionQC.NET for quality control of loan originations. The new release includes enhanced functionality for audit findings feedback, enterprise level security features, and additional user controls.

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FHFA Begins Devising Alternatives for Mortgage Servicing Compensation

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has issued a 28-page document that presents several alternatives it plans to consider for how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac compensate mortgage servicers. The agency says today's model does not provide the flexibility needed for the servicing of nonperforming loans during times of high defaults. Alternatives being considered include a fee-for-service compensation structure for nonperforming loans and reducing or eliminating the minimum servicing fee for performing loans.

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Economic Recovery Fails to Ease Financial Stress on U.S. Households

A rise in stock prices has helped to grow consumers' net worth, but financial duress related to housing and a weak job market are weighing heavy on U.S. households and overshadowing any assurances that an economic recovery is underway. The nonprofit credit counseling agency CredAbility has released its Consumer Distress Index results for the fourth quarter of 2010. The organization found that the health of household budgets has fallen to its lowest level since the first quarter of 2009, causing many homeowners to miss mortgage payments.

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Homeownership Preservation Foundation Receives $1M HUD Grant

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) is the sole recipient of a $1 million Mortgage Modification and Mortgage Scam Assistance (MMSA) grant from HUD. The grant will enable HPF to continue as the primary ""call to action"" for HUD's anti-scam campaign to assist victims as well as educate and warn distressed homeowners about foreclosure prevention and loan modification scammers.

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Fed Governor Calls on Servicers to Make Home Retention the Priority

Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin says the biggest drag on the nation's economy is the absence of any substantial recovery in the housing sector. She has challenged mortgage servicers to step up to the plate and make home retention their top priority. Raskin says too many servicing practices have been developed and defended solely on the basis of ""standard industry practice"" but according to her, many practices are not only standard but ""shoddy.""

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Visionet Launches New Services to Manage Loan Repurchase Claims

New Jersey-based Visionet Systems, a full-service mortgage consulting and business process outsourcing company, recently launched new outsourcing services to assist banks with loan buybacks. Currently, Visionet is aiding two of the top four U.S. banks in recovering a majority of mortgage repurchase requests from GSEs and private investors, according to a statement from the company.

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National Fair Housing Alliance Partners with HOPE LoanPort

HOPE LoanPort, a Web-based tool developed by HOPE NOW that streamlines loan modification applications on behalf of homeowners at-risk of foreclosure, and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) will collaborate to promote fair housing for borrowers facing foreclosure. Through training and outreach focused on ending discrimination, the organizations hope to preserve homeownership in under-served communities.

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California Appeals Court Rules Oral Promises Are Binding

A California appeals court ruling could have far reaching effects for the mortgage servicing community. The three judges hearing the case of Aceves v. U.S. Bank found that the bank had promised to negotiate a loan modification for a customer while intending to proceed with the foreclosure on the customer's house. The bank claimed an oral promise to postpone foreclosure is unenforceable. But the court ruled against the bank because the homeowner had opted against other actions to keep her home based on the bank's word it would offer a modification.

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