Mortgage loan subservicer promotes six from within, including Rene Gonzales to Chief Technology Officer.
Read More »States Divert Nearly Half of Settlement Money Earmarked for Housing
Less than half of the states' $2.5 billion from the national mortgage servicing settlement is being used for housing initiatives as intended, according to Enterprise Community Partners. It's been six months since a federal judge approved the agreement between the nation's five largest mortgage servicers and state and federal officials, and Enterprise says to date, states have announced housing- and foreclosure-related plans for $966 million of their settlement share; $988 million has been diverted to states' general funds or non-housing uses; and $588 million has yet to be allocated.
Read More »Oklahoma Residents First to Receive Mortgage Settlement Payments
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has issued the first borrower payments resulting from settlements with the nation's five largest mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure processing. Oklahoma families who were subject to the servicers' ""unfair and deceptive practices ... following the financial crisis,"" can expect to receive their checks soon, Pruitt said. Oklahoma was the only state to craft its own agreement with Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, GMAC/Ally, and Wells Fargo.
Read More »HLP, GMAC Team Up to Launch Consumer Web Portal
Hope LoanPort announced Monday that it is partnering with GMAC Mortgage to launch a new consumer direct web portal.
Read More »HLP Launches Online Portal for Foreclosure Mediation
Together with GMAC Mortgage and the state of Maryland, HLP created the Portal as a way to ease the process by which homeowners can opt in for Maryland's foreclosure mediation program. Before now, homeowners have had to submit paper copies of documents to the state's Office of Administrative Hearings. With the added option of electronic submission through the Portal, it is hoped that more homeowners will take the step to opt in for mediation.
Read More »Ally’s Mortgage Unit Files for Bankruptcy; New Strategies Announced
Ally Financial announced Monday that its mortgage arm Residential Capital (ResCap) filed for bankruptcy, enabling the bank to focus on strategies to pay back remaining bailout funds still owed to Treasury. ResCap filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Manhattan federal court, and Ally announced it will sell some its international operations to pay back Treasury. The financial institution will also focus on strengthening its auto and banking businesses.
Read More »Behind the $25B Settlement: Joe Smith
Parties to the landmark mortgage servicing settlement appointed one man to oversee $25 billion in compliance. In an interview with DS News, Joseph A. Smith, onetime banking commissioner for North Carolina and ex-nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, lays out the role he envisions playing as he monitors funds for homeowners, states, and the federal government. The settlement monitor speaks with an understated tone about his stewardship of the historic settlement, which 49 state attorneys general and federal officials completed in February.
Read More »Moody’s Ranks Subprime Servicers Based on Cash Flow
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.
Read More »Oklahoma Sets Deadline for Mortgage Settlement Relief
Oklahoma residents seeking restitution under the state's mortgage settlement with the nation's largest mortgage servicers must apply for benefits by September 13, 2012. The agreement between Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Bank of America, Citigroup, Ally's GMAC, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo gives the state $18.6 million, all of which will be used to compensate residents wronged in the foreclosure process. Under the nationwide settlement, Oklahoma would have received an estimated $10.2 million, and most of it would have been ""paid"" in the form of credits for loss mitigation activities fulfilled by the servicers.
Read More »Treasury Reinstates HAMP Incentives as Servicers Show Improvement
Treasury says servicers participating in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) are getting better at evaluating homeowners for eligibility. Its latest performance assessment found no company in need of ""substantial improvement."" OneWest Bank and Select Portfolio Servicing performed at the highest level, needing only minor improvement. As part of the $25 billion settlement announced last month, Treasury has agreed to release incentives previously withheld from Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase.
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