Government

Servicers using the XetusOne Loan Management System already exceed the minimum requirements for the Treasury Department's new guideline mandating a single relationship manager for Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) borrowers. Available via California-based Xetus, the system provides servicers with compliance through its Web-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.

Servicer reaction varied following Treasury's announcement that it will not pay incentives to three program participants until officials see improvements in the way they handle borrowers under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Bank of America ""acknowledged improvements must be made,"" while Wells Fargo said it is ""formally disputing"" Treasury's assessment. Treasury insists its goal is to improve behavior, but some say the move could induce at least one of the larger banks to withdraw from the program.

The U.S. Treasury has released its regular monthly report card on the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). New this time is an assessment of how the 10 largest HAMP servicers are performing. Four servicers have been designated as needing ""substantial"" improvement: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Ocwen Loan Servicing, and Wells Fargo. Treasury says it will withhold financial incentives from three of these companies until they make identified improvements.

The Federal Reserve has published a new rendition of its popular Beige Book, relaying insight from professionals in the field on regional market conditions. A number of the 12 Fed districts noted improvements in overall credit quality, specifically Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. New York was the only district to report rising delinquency rates on consumer loans, but it saw delinquencies decline for commercial loans and mortgages.

The California Housing Finance Agency said Wednesday that 20 mortgage servicing companies are now participating in the state's ""Keep Your Home California"" program to help families avoid foreclosure. The $2 billion program is funded with federal dollars from the U.S. Treasury's Hardest-Hit Fund. All of the six largest servicing companies in California are participating in at least one of the program initiatives, with one taking part in the principal reduction effort.

The Mississippi Legislature has approved a measure that defines the acceptable uses of broker price opinions (BPOs) to estimate the price of residential real estate property and provides greater clarity to real estate professionals on the preparation and delivery of BPOs in the state. The Broker Price Opinion Act has been signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour and becomes effective July 1. As the basis for its BPO regulations, the state officially recognized and adopted the BPO Standards and Guidelines (BPOSG) from the BPO Standards Board and the National Association of BPO Professionals.

More than three-quarters of foreclosure counselors say the borrower experience when turning to the government's flagship modification program for relief is sub-par. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says counselors it polled cited concerns about HAMP trial denials, including long waiting periods and documentation issues. Some 39 percent said paperwork had been lost or needed to be resubmitted, while 46 percent said it typically takes seven months or more to receive a decision on a trial mod application.

Foreclosure prevention actions on loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac declined during the first three months of this year, driven primarily by loan modifications. Permanent loan mods dropped for the third consecutive quarter to 86,201. Short sales were essentially flat at 25,705. According to the GSEs' regulator, even with the drop-off in loss mitigation actions the two companies' delinquency rates ""remain below industry levels."" In the first quarter, foreclosure starts declined while completed foreclosures increased.

Fannie Mae laid out new standards for mortgage servicers Monday related to the management of delinquent loans. The move is part of the Servicing Alignment Initiative announced by the company's regulator in late April to bring both Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's procedures for handling past-due mortgages in line with one another. The new rules are intended to address identified servicing issues such as the commencement of foreclosure actions while loss mitigation talks are ongoing and breakdowns in borrower communication.

Atlantic Bank and Trust in Charleston, South Carolina, was closed Friday by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), bringing the count of FDIC-insured bank failures to 45 for the year. The FDIC brokered a deal with First Citizens Bank and Trust Company to assume the failed lender's deposits and purchase all of its assets.