The five large mortgage servicers that agreed to a $25 billion settlement with 49 state attorneys general this week have already established more than enough reserves to cover their costs, analysts say. Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial agreed to pay $20.0 billion in financial relief to homeowners and $5.0 billion to federal and state governments, of which $1.5 billion will be used to compensate some borrowers who have gone through foreclosure. Both the Federal Reserve Board and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency levied separate monetary penalties...

A number of small to mid-size mortgage firms appear to be taking a second look at holding onto their newly created mortgage servicing rights. There are a handful of forces at work driving this dynamic for smaller companies. First, some big servicers such as Bank of America are dumping their MSRs, in some cases because of the increasingly unattractive legal environment, while others are trying to align their portfolios for the upcoming Basel III capital framework or reacting to hedging strain in a low interest-rate environment. Additionally, the economics are developing in such a way as to encourage smaller...

One potential coup for the mortgage industry in the landmark multistate robosigning settlement announced this week is the detailed look at national servicing standards at a time when the states are racing to implement their separate foreclosure and servicing reforms. The terms for the $25 billion deal reached by 49 states, federal officials and the five major banks – Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Ally Financial – have yet to be released. However, one document that immediately made its way onto the settlement’s new website was an overview of the new servicing...

The mortgage settlement agreement between state and federal law enforcement agencies and the country’s five largest loan servicers will unleash a new foreclosure wave that will cause real estate-owned properties and distressed home sales to increase, according to market observers. Having the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s REO Initiative ready will be useful when the foreclosure and REO tsunami comes rolling in, academics, economists and analysts agree. The number of properties classified by banks as “real estate-owned,” or REO, has declined over the past year. The reason: the robosigning scandals...

Despite watching two long-time competitors shoved to the sidelines by eroding reserves, private mortgage insurers continued a slow rebound from near-irrelevance just two years ago, while crowning a new market leader for the first time since 1994. Exactly who the new industry leader isn’t clear. Most private mortgage insurers include Home Affordable Refinance Program loan originations in the new insurance written figures that they report to Inside Mortgage Finance. However, United Guaranty has declined to participate in our survey, and the numbers released by AIG, the MI’s...(Includes three data charts)

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity this week approved legislation calling for an emergency capital plan and an independent GAAP-based audit of the FHA insurance funds and programs. The FHA Emergency Fiscal Solvency Act would set minimum annual mortgage insurance premiums for the FHA and is aimed at shoring up the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Introduced by Subcommittee Chair Judy Biggert, R-IL, the bill was approved by voice vote. An amendment introduced by Rep. Scott Garrett, R-NJ, sparked a heated partisan debate, which will likely continue when...

Most observers don’t think the Obama administration’s proposal to use the FHA program to refinance underwater non-agency mortgage borrowers stands much of a chance on Capitol Hill, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development is moving ahead with a change it can make on its own that’s designed to spur FHA refinance activity. Acting FHA Commissioner Carol Galante announced that the agency is changing its Neighborhood Watch system to exclude streamlined FHA refinance loans from lender performance scoring. A key feature of the online system is a comparison of each lender’s early default rate to the...

Congressional lawmakers, still smoldering over multi-million dollar bonuses paid to executives of taxpayer-subsidized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are moving aggressively to cut compensation levels at the government-sponsored enterprises. Last week the Senate approved by voice vote an amendment to prohibit top GSE executives from receiving such bonuses while Fannie and Freddie remain in federal conservatorship. The two companies have received more than $182.0 billion in aid since the government takeover in September 2008. Sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-AZ, and Jay Rockefeller, D-WV...

State attorneys general and federal officials this week announced a massive legal settlement with five major mortgage servicers, finally concluding a torturous 16-month-long negotiation. Some 49 states – including New York, California and Florida – agreed to the $25 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Ally Bank and Citigroup. The agreement does not provide blanket immunity for the lenders, which can still face criminal charges and are subject to claims over securitization practices and claims brought by individual borrowers. The agreement is based on investigations by...

Industry representatives and members of Congress looked to the role of the appropriations process as House Republicans strengthened their push for greater oversight of and transparency from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit held a hearing this week to consider separate bills that would change how the CFPB is funded. H.R. 1355, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Accountability and Transparency Act of 2011, introduced by Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-TX, would remove the CFPB from the Federal Reserve System, where...