Tag Archives: Foreclosure Prevention

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 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.

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.

Specialty servicer Ocwen Financial Corporation recently launched a new product to help buyers of non-performing loan portfolios or residuals of private-label securities get more value from their loans. A turnkey product, PlatformPlus allows distressed asset investors to set up their own specialty servicing operations using Ocwen's expertise and management.

Williston Financial Group and its wholly owned subsidiary WFG National Title Insurance Company have appointed Morgan Harris as EVP of default services. As head of the company's default services division, Harris will be responsible for the strategic direction of the division, as well as the oversight and management of all aspects of sales and production.

More than three-quarters of foreclosure counselors say the borrower experience when turning to the government's flagship modification program for relief is sub-par. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says counselors it polled cited concerns about HAMP trial denials, including long waiting periods and documentation issues. Some 39 percent said paperwork had been lost or needed to be resubmitted, while 46 percent said it typically takes seven months or more to receive a decision on a trial mod application.

Foreclosure prevention actions on loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac declined during the first three months of this year, driven primarily by loan modifications. Permanent loan mods dropped for the third consecutive quarter to 86,201. Short sales were essentially flat at 25,705. According to the GSEs' regulator, even with the drop-off in loss mitigation actions the two companies' delinquency rates ""remain below industry levels."" In the first quarter, foreclosure starts declined while completed foreclosures increased.

Fannie Mae laid out new standards for mortgage servicers Monday related to the management of delinquent loans. The move is part of the Servicing Alignment Initiative announced by the company's regulator in late April to bring both Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's procedures for handling past-due mortgages in line with one another. The new rules are intended to address identified servicing issues such as the commencement of foreclosure actions while loss mitigation talks are ongoing and breakdowns in borrower communication.

HOPE LoanPort (HLP), a Web-based tool that streamlines home retention applications on behalf of borrowers at risk of foreclosure, recently welcomed nonprofit counseling agencies in Alaska and Kansas to its system. Used by housing counselors, housing finance agencies, investors, and major mortgage servicers, HLP now assists struggling homeowners in 49 states and the District of Columbia.