Loss Mitigation

CitiMortgage and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida will host a free homeowner outreach event in Miami for distressed homeowners on Wednesday. Part of the Citi Road to Recovery Homeowner Assistance Series, the event is open to all homeowners who are struggling with mortgage payments.

Modified mortgages held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could go up for sale at some point, according to the companies' regulator. Since the GSEs were seized by the government, they have completed modifications on 849,000 mortgages. The sale of these assets is one option being discussed as part of a strategy to shrink their portfolios. The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency told lawmakers that they are looking at a range of possible structures for disposing of certain assets, which could include non-performing and modified loans.

Four senators have drafted a letter they intend to send to key policymakers advocating for the return of federal dollars to HUD's housing counselor program. Congress eliminated funding slated for the federal program, which supports counseling efforts for foreclosure prevention, back in April as part of the 2011 budget resolution. Sens. Akaka, Menendez, Snowe, and Rockefeller are asking that $87.5 million be included in the 2012 budget to fund the HUD program, and they're soliciting their Senate colleagues for additional support.

Mid-Atlantic Title Consultants, LLC and its National Title Consultants division recently announced that Debbie McDonald has joined the organization as assistant VP of processing. Teresa R. Williams, CEO of Mid-Atlantic Title Consultants, explained that McDonald's appointment is in support of the firms' growing client base in the processing of closing files as she will head the team overseeing the final work product.

Potestivo & Associates, P.C., a legal provider in the real estate finance and credit industry, will represent the FDIC as outside counsel in Michigan and Illinois, according to a statement from the firm. The AV-rated firm, which includes more than 100 team members, handles all aspects of default servicing, including residential and commercial foreclosures, bankruptcies, landlord tenant, title resolution, home retention services, REO disposition, and litigation.

Fannie Mae has issued a notice to servicers detailing changes to how they should evaluate ""imminent default"" and how they determine the market value of properties for pre-foreclosure sales. The GSE is requiring servicers to apply the imminent default test now used only for HAMP modifications to all non-HAMP mods secured by owner-occupied properties. In addition, Fannie Mae is requiring servicers to use only approved providers for broker price opinions or appraisals on short sales and deeds-in-lieu.

The attorneys general for the states of Illinois and California are casting a wider net in their investigations of faulty foreclosure paperwork, issuing subpoenas against two Florida-based firms that provide mortgage servicing support to lenders and servicers across the country. The state counsels say they have received reports of robo-signing practices on the part of the two firms - LPS and Nationwide Title. Statements from the AGs indicate that the reach of both companies and their extensive client bases have put them on the radar.

Bank of America will leverage the federal government's Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) through participation in unemployment assistance programs in all 18 eligible states and the District of Columbia. The HHF targets states with sustained unemployment rates at or above the national average and falling property values. Collectively, state housing finance agencies have about 2,700 applications for unemployment assistance in process for BofA customers and have provided $2.8 million toward mortgage payments for the benefit of more than 700 customers.

The Ohio Attorney General's office and Ohio Department of Commerce have announced an assurance of voluntary compliance (AVC) with Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC to resolve a 2009 lawsuit. The AVC will also provide relief to Ohio homeowners facing foreclosure. The three parties agreed to several mortgage servicing standards that will apply to all Ohio loans serviced by Carrington Mortgage Services, including providing borrowers who complete a modification application with a single point of contact.

Equifax announced this week that it has named Jeff Flory and Jeff Schwartzel as enterprise business directors, responsible for leading efforts to acquire new customer relationships for the consumer credit reporting agency. Flory brings more than 19 years of experience to the company, most recently as VP of business development for Financial Asset Services. Schwartzel has over 12 years of industry experience. He previously served as business development executive for Deluxe Financial Services.