Tag Archives: HAMP

FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco released a statement Tuesday reiterating his stance that offering principal reduction for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans is not in the best interest of the GSEs and taxpayers. DeMarco has faced a barrage of criticism for not allowing the GSEs to apply the Home Affordable Modification Program Principal Reduction Alternative (HAMP PRA) program to underwater loans and has been urged by lawmakers to reconsider his position. After what DeMarco said was extensive analysis, he stated, ""FHFA has concluded that the anticipated benefits do not outweigh the costs and risks.""

Amherst Securities Group expressed in a Mortgage Insight release worries about loopholes in eligibility requirements under the expanded HAMP program. The release specifically points to a rule that requires investors to pledge that they actually intend to rent the home; the requirement has no provisions about reporting on the investor's actual efforts to rent or on the income collected.

Servicers received higher scores from customers this year compared to 2011, according to a study from J.D. Power and Associates Thursday. On a 1,000 point scale, overall satisfaction with primary mortgage servicers increased to 725 from 718 in 2011. The study looks at four areas to gauge customer satisfaction: billing and payment process; escrow account administration; website; and phone contact. Overall satisfaction among customers who are considered to be at-risk improved the most, increasing by 27 points from last year.

HOPE NOW released its May loan modification data Monday, revealing that the month saw nearly 38,000 completed short sales. The May short sale total brings the organization's overall total (since December 2009) to nearly 906,000. In addition, HOPE NOW reported that an estimated 63,000 homeowners received permanent, affordable loan modifications during the month, 17,590 of which were completed under HAMP.

Once again, data compiled in the Obama administration's Housing Scorecard pointed to both signs of promise and reasons for concern. One positive indicator for housing was the 7.4 percent rise in home equity to $457.1 billion in the first quarter of 2012. On the downside, the impact of serious delinquencies and underwater mortgages continues to strain the housing market. One popular administration program for underwater borrowers is the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). So far, HUD Acting Assistant Secretary Erika Poethig said almost half a million families have taken advantage of the program, and refinanced families save an average of $2,500 per year.

With high foreclosure rates still presenting a major hurdle to housing and economic recovery, GAO conducted a study to evaluate and find opportunities to enhance foreclosure mitigation efforts. The report asserts that government agencies participating in foreclosure mitigation programs need improve their existing strategies to help borrowers. The report specifically addressed loans modified by the Treasury (through HAMP), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), FHA, and the GSEs.

The OCC Mortgage Metrics Report for the First Quarter of 2012 showed that percentages of mortgages between 30-59 days delinquent and mortgages between 60-89 days delinquent both fell to their lowest levels since the OCC began publishing mortgage performance reports in Q1 2008. The percentage of mortgages that were current and performing increased to 88.9 percent, the highest level seen in three years. Also, of the more than 2.5 million loans modified by servicers from 2008-2011, 50.7 percent were either current or had been paid off by the end of 2012's first quarter.

Howard R. Shmuckler, 68, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for running a fraudulent mortgage-rescue business that received substantial fees but only modified clients' mortgages in a few cases, according to release from the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).

Amherst Securities recently released a report declaring that principal reduction modifications, without question, are the most effective form of modification. Between three types of modifications - principal, rate, and capitalization - the controversial and much-debated principal reduction mod was found to be the most effective based when it comes to its 12-month re-default rate. For 2011 modifications, the re-default rate after 12 months for principal modifications was 12 percent compared to 23 percent for rate modifications and 30 percent for capitalization modifications, according to the report.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed nearly 2.3 million foreclosure prevention actions by from the start of their conservatorship to the end of March 2012, according to FHFA'ss Foreclosure Prevention Report for first-quarter 2012. The report, released Friday, showed that over 1.9 million of the foreclosure prevention actions undertaken by the GSEs have helped borrowers keep their homes. Moreover, half of borrowers who received loan modifications in Q1 2012 had their monthly payments reduced by more than 30 percent, with one third of those including principal forbearance.