Loss Mitigation

The total number of homeowners receiving permanent loan modifications declined in July, as did the number of modifications made under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), according to figures released this week by HOPE NOW. Meanwhile, foreclosure starts rose a little more than 1,000 from June to settle at 70,401.

Fannie Mae recently released a report revising the waiting periods for borrowers with a derogatory credit event such as a foreclosure, bankruptcy, short sale, or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure on their credit history to obtain a new loan.

Foreclosure prevention counselors have saved homeowners millions of dollars annually, according to a recent study by the Urban Institute for NeighborWorks America.

Avenue 365, a Pennsylvania-based national title insurance and settlement services provider, has announced the hiring of David Tiberio as vice president of default services and as a national account manager.

Online marketplace exchange DebtX has announced its intention to sell 15,000 nonperforming residential loans for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the agency's Single-Family Loan Sale (SFLS) program. The unpaid principal balance of the loans amounts to about $2.3 billion. The bid is scheduled for September 30. The loans will be sold in eight national pools ranging from $94.5 million to $804.5 million.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in a report released last week it has sold $15.8 billion in nonperforming loans since 2010, cutting losses to its insurance fund and saving thousands of homeowners from foreclosure.

In Fannie Mae's July 2014 Monthly Summary released on August 29, the GSE reported that July's serious delinquency rate of 2.0 percent for single-family properties is at its lowest level since October 2008.

Flagstar Bancorp, Inc. announced earlier this week that it has filed a Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to notify its investors that the bank is currently trying to work out a settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding alleged violations of financial laws.

Freddie Mac's single-family refinance-loan purchase and guarantee volume was $9.2 billion in July, representing about 40 percent of total new single-family mortgage portfolio activity. Relief refinance mortgages accounted for 20 percent of the company's single-family refinance volume based on unpaid principal balance.

Nearly 43 percent of homeowners between 35 and 49 are underwater on their mortgages. In contrast, only 15 percent of millennial homeowners (those between 20 and 34 years old) and 31 percent of baby boomers (50 to 64 years old) are underwater.