Loss Mitigation

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.

Move, Inc., reported that it is continuing to combat the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack which has interrupted its websites' operations since mid-day June 17. The company said in a release that they are "working around-the-clock" to mitigate the attack and restore operations.

HOPE NOW released its latest data on loan modifications, noting that in April approximately 42,000 homeowners completed a modification for their home's mortgage. All told, the organization reported that more than 7.02 million homeowners have completed home mortgage modifications since the third quarter of 2007.

Ongoing settlement negotiations between Bank of America and the Justice Department to resolve an investigation into the bank's role in the mortgage crisis reached a stalemate Monday as the government reportedly rejected the bank's earlier $12 billion offer.

In a report originally in Reuters, Ocwen will stop requiring gag orders, which disallowed some homeowners from criticizing the company publicly in exchange for having their loan terms modified, according to New York State's Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin Lawsky.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has sued the Federal Housing Finance Agency and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, alleging the companies' refusal to engage in foreclosure buyback programs is "unfairly and illegally causing Massachusetts families to lose their homes."

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) announced the latest victory in its ongoing effort to protect taxpayers by combating fraud, waste, and abuse connected with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Michael Edward Filmore of Chesterfield, Missouri was sentenced to four years in federal prison and ordered to pay $6.5 million in restitution for defrauding Pulaski Bank.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) announced that Steven Pitchersky of Rancho Mirage, California was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for a scheme to defraud GMAC Inc., since rebranded as Ally. Through his fraudulent actions, the company incurred losses of approximately $5.3 million.