Loss Mitigation

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.

Freddie Mac announced new leadership this week for its three lines of business, including its new single-family and operations and technology unit. The new division consolidates previously separated single-family business lines as well as the technology unit. Anthony Renzi has been named EVP to head up the new division. In addition, David Brickman was named SVP in charge of the multifamily division, Carol Wambeke was promoted to SVP and chief compliance officer, and Devajyoti Ghose will assume the roles of SVP of the investments and capital markets division and company treasurer.

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.

NeighborWorks America announced this week that $67.7 million has been awarded to 37 state housing finance agencies, 17 HUD-approved housing counseling intermediaries, and 84 community-based organizations to provide counseling to homeowners facing foreclosure. Demand for this latest round of grant money exceeded the amount of funding available, with more than $212.7 million requested from eligible applicants. NeighborWorks estimates the money will support assistance for nearly 184,000 families facing foreclosure.

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.

Mortgage Cadence, LLC, a provider of enterprise lending solutions (ELS), default servicing technology, and document services for the financial services industry, will spin off its compliance, content, and document preparation division, Mortgage Cadence Finale, into a separate entity. The new standalone service provider will go by the name Finale Document Services and allows lenders and servicers to create modification and short sale packages, as well as other financial documents.

IndiSoft announced Tuesday that its workflow technology now assists housing counseling agencies with internal operations and communications. Housing counselors provide consumers with advice on housing options as well as information regarding defaults, foreclosures, and credit issues. IndiSoft explained that its RxOffice Premium Counselor Edition provides case and document management features customized for counselors and allows them to more effectively communicate with both financially troubled consumers and servicers.

Almost $1.4 billion in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) conduit loans were resolved with losses in May, according to Trepp LLC. That number was up about 11 percent from April and was the second highest total since the company began tracking this stat in January 2010. During the month of May, 148 loans with a total balance of $1.38 billion were liquidated. The losses on the May liquidations were about $594 million, representing an average loss severity of 43.2 percent.