Loss Mitigation

Clearer monthly mortgage statements, warnigns before interest rates adjust, quick correction of errors - these are among the proposed rules for mortgage servicers from the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau. According to a commentary from Fitch Ratings, these new rules, if implemented, would set consistent standards for residential servicers, but the rules ""will also further increase compliance costs for the industry and potentially drive further consolidation within mid to smaller servicers.""

Along with second quarter decreases in the national mortgage delinquency rate came signficant improvements for hard-hit states California and Arizona, according to a TransUnion report. The national mortgage delinquency rate slipped for the second straight quarter to 5.49 percent. Arizona and California saw the greatest year-over-year declines, each falling around 21 percent from the second quarter of 2011.

An increase in loan modifications led to fewer delinquencies for commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) in July, according to Fitch Ratings. The decrease in CMBS delinquencies is the second consecutive month of declines as CMBS delinquencies fell to 8.48 percent in July, a drop of 14 basis points (bps) from June's 8.62 percent. According to the ratings agency, two large loan mods helped bring down the past due rate - the $305 million Schron Industrial Portfolio and the $210 million Savoy Park.

The GSE released its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for August on Wednesday, examining recent trends in home price indices and speculating on the impact of shadow inventory on home prices. While prices have shown positive growth in many states through this year, concerns about shadow inventory-the stock of single-family loans that are seriously delinquent-- have some experts worried about prices taking another tumble.

The Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight recently chose five new firms to serve as its eyes and ears on the ground as the $25 servicer settlement grinds forward. The new secondary professional firms - including BKD, LLP; Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP; Crowe Horwath, LLP; Grant Thornton, LLP; and McGladrey, LLP - will assist settlement monitor Joseph A. Smith, Jr., over the next three and a half years. Each firm will assist BDO Consulting, a division of BDO USA, LLP, and the primary professional firm responsible for evaluations.

A report from Lender Processing Services (LPS) revealed that in judicial states, the share of aging past due loans is significantly higher than in non-judicial states. In judicial states, nearly 60 percent of borrowers with loans in foreclosure have not made a payment in 2 years, whereas in non-judicial states, that percentage is at about 30 percent. Among those with loans 90 days or more past due, 50 percent of borrowers in judicial states have not made a payment in more than one year, compared to slightly more than 40 percent in non-judicial states.

Overall, foreclosure activity declined year-over-year and month-over-month, but foreclosure starts told a different story in July, according to RealtyTrac's foreclosure market report. Foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions, fell 3 percent month-over-month and decreased 10 percent from July 2011. Fewer homes were lost to the foreclosure process as well, with lenders completing the foreclosure process on 53,654 U.S. properties. The figure is a 1 percent decrease from June and a 21 percent decrease from a year ago.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 6,000 for the week ended August 4 to 361,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected 367,000 initial claims. The prior week's total was revised up to 367,000 from the originally reported 365,000.

CitiMortgage announced the launch of the Home Rental Program, a program designed to provide an alternative to foreclosure and allow eligible borrowers to stay in their homes. Under the program, the eligible borrower transfers ownership of the property to a vehicle established by Carrington Capital and its joint venture partner, Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. A lease will then be established for the property at a manageable monthly payment.

To learn more about the NeighborWorks America Neighborhood Marketing Program, DS News asked Ascala Sisk, Senior Manager for Community Stabilization at NeighborWorks, a few questions about the effort. The new program is one of many initiatives from the nonprofit to rebuild communities.