Tag Archives: Chase

The dollar volume of homes donated or sold at a discount through JPMorgan Chase's Community Revitalization Program has crossed the $250 million mark. Initiated in 2009 as an effort to help customers and communities cope with the housing crisis, the program has seen more than 5,300 properties donated or sold to nonprofit housing organizations over the last few years.

Former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice delivered the keynote address to conclude Monday night's program at the 10th annual Five Star Conference and Expo in Dallas. Dr. Rice took the stage after the unprecedented giveaway of 10 free homes to U.S. veterans and their families by the Military Warriors Support Foundation, four banks in attendance, and three event sponsors. The evening kicked off with the presentation of the 2013 Five Star Lifetime Achievement Award to Anthony T. Meola of Bank of America.

JPMorgan Chase announced the appointment of former senior Treasury official Darius Kingsley as co-general counsel of mortgage banking.

Wingspan Portfolio Advisors, a diversified component and special mortgage servicer based in Dallas, has entered into an agreement to acquire JPMorgan Chase's mortgage servicing operation in Melbourne, Florida.

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, the Boot Campaign, and the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) are joining forces once again to present a mortgage-free home to a wounded military veteran and Purple Heart recipient. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Cummings, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and his family will be honored as part of Operation Grateful Nation, a special celebration being held in honor of American veterans on November 10 in Leesville, Louisiana. The home is a donation from Chase.

The nation's five largest mortgage servicers had 180 days to implement the 320 servicing standards outlined in the settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice and 49 state attorneys general. The standards address such areas as borrower communication, single point of contact, training for loss mitigation staff, and document execution related to foreclosure actions. And as described by the attorneys general's own negotiating committee, to put all the required changes in place involved ""a massive undertaking.""

Based on a metric devised by Moody’s Analytics, GMAC, SLS, and American Home performed better compared to other subprime servicers in terms of cash collected relative to losses on delinquent loans. This was mainly due to shorter liquidation timelines that resulted in lower loss severities on liquidated or foreclosed properties, according to an article in Moody's ResiLandscape. GMAC's high metric is due primarily to shorter liquidation timelines and because the servicer maximizes cash flow on modified loans by keeping the re-default rates in line with the industry average even though it offers relatively low levels of relief in terms of principal and interest.

State attorneys general and the nation's five largest mortgage servicers could be within weeks of reaching a $25 billion agreement to settle allegations that foreclosures were improperly processed. Details of the settlement terms obtained by DSNews.com indicate that individual servicer penalties will be based on the number of foreclosures they've completed. Collectively, $5 billion would come in the form of cash fines and $20 billion would be satisfied with principal-reducing modifications and refinancing for underwater borrowers.

The industry's four largest mortgage servicers all say they will be taking part in the revamped Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo have each expressed their support of the program and the changes that will allow more underwater homeowners to refinance. Government officials expect the program's revisions to expand its reach and increase competition for mortgage refinancing, with an estimated 1 million homeowners to receive assistance under the new guidelines.

Help for underwater homeowners has moved from principal writedowns to refinancing in the settlement negotiations between state attorneys general and the nation's five largest mortgage servicers. According to a widely circulated report, the proposal made its way into the talks last week. Borrowers who are current on their mortgage payments but owe more than their home is worth would be able to refinance at today's lower rates. The main caveat is that the loan must be owned, not just serviced, by one of the five banks.