Loss Mitigation

From foreclosure moratoriums to targeted community outreach programs, lenders across the country are stepping up their home retention efforts to tackle the foreclosure epidemic that has strangled the U.

NeighborWorks Center for Foreclosure Solutions announced yesterday that it has received a donation in the amount of $50,000 from Smith Barney, a division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. The contribution was awarded to help support foreclosure intervention and prevention strategies.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a bill appended to the state’s budget package last week that institutes a 90-day foreclosure moratorium throughout the Golden State. Introduced by Sen.

To provide faster service and acceptance of loan restructurings, Wingspan Portfolio Advisors, a Carrollton, Texas firm specializing in saving seriously delinquent loans from foreclosure, has selected electronic mortgage solutions from Houston-based SigniaDocs.

The nation’s four largest organizations of professional real estate appraisers—the Appraisal Institute, American Society of Appraisers, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers urging the federal government to require that market values of homes rescued under President Obama’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Program be determined by professional appraisers who are state certified and licensed.

Minneapolis-based Wolters Kluwer Financial Services recently announced that two members of its compliance management services team have earned the prestigious Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) designation from the American Bankers Association’s (ABA’s) Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB).

Ninety-seven percent of prime borrowers who originally had a conforming adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) chose a new conforming fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) when they refinanced in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to a report released today by Freddie Mac analyzing refinancings funded by the GSE.

Wilmington, Delaware-based MDA Lending Solutions has announced the launch of ARTAdvisor from MDA MindBox. The technology platform provides risk management, from early risk detection through loss mitigation, by automating the review, analysis, and management of any size mortgage portfolio.

James B. Lockhart III, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) overseeing GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently spoke with members of the American Securitization Forum (ASF) about the role the secondary mortgage market must play in the nation’s housing recovery.

Clearwater, Florida-based eMASON, Inc. has announced key product upgrades to its Clarifire application that the company says will provide increased flexibility and expanded capabilities. Clarifire now features certified Fannie Mae loss mitigation business rules for HomeSaver Advance and pre-foreclosure sale workout types, as well as a direct connection to Fannie Mae’s system of record, Home Saver Solutions Network (HSSN).