Government

In his report to Congress this week, Neil Barofsky covered a number of controversial issues surrounding the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) designed by Treasury as a foreclosure prevention effort. Barofsky says HAMP ""continues to fall dramatically short of any meaningful standard of success,"" and he faults servicers for compounding the program's problems with unnecessary delays and mishandling of paperwork. Barofsky is the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), which funds the HAMP initiative.

The Federal Reserve board held its first meeting of 2011 this week. It may be a new year with new faces around the boardroom table, but there's nothing new in the central bank's policy direction or its assessment of the economic recovery. Board members voted to press forward with plans to buy another $600 billion in securities and to keep the Fed's benchmark interest rate near zero, where it's been for two years now. One distinction did emerge--the vote was unanimous in favor of the policy decision for the first time in 12 months.

The passing of the Dodd-Frank Reform Act last summer was hailed as the end of ""too-big-to-fail"" and the end of corporate bailouts. But in a report to be presented to Congress Wednesday, Neil Barofsky, head of the group charged with overseeing the government's handling of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) says the ""too-big-to-fail"" problem has not been solved; in fact, it's gotten worse, thanks to implicit guarantees that came with the massive bailouts of companies such as Citigroup, AIG, and Bank of America.

Federal regulators took control of United Western Bank over the weekend after losses in 2009 and 2010 left the Denver-based bank ""undercapitalized and in an unsafe and unsound condition to transact business,"" according to the Office of Thrift Supervision. The institution's parent company called the seizure premature and indicated that the move will likely push it into bankruptcy. Three other smaller lenders were also shut down in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

In November, Texas representative Randy Neugebauer sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) requesting a report from Acting Director Edward DeMarco detailing how much taxpayer dollars are being spent on legal costs for former Fannie and Freddie execs. A report released last week details just that, and the results are eye opening. Currently the bill sits at a hefty $160 million and counting.

Fannie Mae has issued a notice to its servicers, instructing them to postpone foreclosure proceedings for unemployed homeowners who are receiving help through Hardest-Hit Fund programs run by state housing finance agencies. According to the GSE's newly released directive, if a housing finance agency (HFA) notifies a servicer that a borrower has been approved for assistance, the servicer must not refer the mortgage loan to foreclosure or conduct a scheduled foreclosure sale for 45 days.

The volume of distressed residential properties in the United States is the primary factor hindering a full recovery in the country's housing market, according to Standard & Poor's (S&P). Based on data through the end of the third quarter of 2010, S&P puts the principal balance of the nation's shadow inventory of distressed homes at more than $450 billion - a log jam that will take more than three and a half years to clear from the market, and that doesn't include GSE mortgages.

This week national organizations Women in Default Services (WinDS) and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) signed an alliance agreement to enhance their nationwide representation of businesswomen and business growth. WinDS is an organization aimed at advancing the careers of women working in default services.WIPP represents 54 national women and small business organizations,advocating for and on behalf of women and minorities in business in the legislative process of the United States.

For decades the GSEs have made it possible for many people to achieve their homeownership goals by reducing the cost of credit and making it more readily available. But in light of the recent financial meltdown, banks and other corporations are calling for reform that they say the Dodd-Frank Act didn't cover. The government is set to release a report on the future of Fannie and Freddie in the coming weeks, but market participants have low expectations for a definitive solution in the report.

Safeguard Properties recently teamed with default servicing veteran Brandon Kirkham to launch Texas-based Compliance Connections. The newly formed company provides technology-assisted solutions and fulfillment services in the areas of code violation and compliance. Kirkham will serve as president of the new company.