Non-agency mortgage-backed security investors frustrated with the lack of buybacks on non-agency MBS are being encouraged to explore servicer termination. The tactic is less expensive and less burdensome than researching potential buybacks, according to Steve Ruterman, an independent consultant to non-agency MBS investors.While much of the focus in recent years has been on enforcing put-back rights, there has been talk of broader efforts to replace servicers, he said. Creditors would be wise to make better use of this complementary strategy going forward. ...
Mortgage servicing turned more profitable during the second quarter of 2011, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. The story is less clear on the production side of the business because of the mammoth loss reported by Bank of America. Net servicing profits for a group of nine major lenders rose 20.2 percent from the first quarter, reaching $2.08 billion. While that was a significant improvement over the $1.73 billion they earned on servicing in the first three months of the year, it was the second ... [contains one data chart]
Top mortgage lenders continued to face a huge backlog of pending loan buyback demands and insurance claims denials at the midway point in 2011, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends.Five major lenders that report detailed data on repurchase exposure had a combined $19.26 billion of mortgage repurchase claims outstanding at the end of June. The good news is that figure was down 6.1 percent from the first quarter.The so-so news was that three of the companies reported increases in their repurchase claims outstanding during the second quarter. Bank of America which had 60.1 percent of ... [contains one data chart]
With confidence in economic recovery continuing to waver across the country, theres been a revival of speculation about what the Obama administrations next move will be in the housing market, given the industrys substantial role in the economy and the upcoming presidential election. This week the Washington Post reported that the president called for a team of advisers to create a housing finance reform proposal that would allow the government to maintain its large role in the market and extend a federal loan subsidy for many borrowers. However, Neal Wolin, deputy secretary of the Treasury, was quick to ...
The tough economic and market environment that continues to pound many lenders is also creating opportunities for others, with PennyMac, Carrington and Ocwen among the most noteworthy ready to take advantage of a strong position in the marketplace. PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust, the real estate investment trust (REIT) run by Stanford Kurland, the former president of Countrywide Financial Corp., plans to triple its mortgage lending through an expansion of its ...
Allowing investors to purchase distressed properties in bulk will help ease the bloated housing inventory, stabilize home prices, increase affordable housing and reinvigorate the sagging housing market, according to a recent Morgan Stanley report. Bulk sales, along with lease-back programs and other incentives, can help avert a growing crisis in housing triggered by the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression, concluded Morgan Stanleys housing analysts. Strict underwriting has tightened mortgage credit, making home purchases more ...
A recent survey from Fannie Mae found that Americans attitudes toward homeownership have grown to be more pessimistic, with more consumers thinking about renting as confidence in home prices waivers. On average, Americans believe home prices will decline slightly over the next year, and only 11 percent of the survey respondents think now is a good time to sell their home. Even though rental prices are anticipated to increase in the next 12 months, compared with last months survey, fewer Americans said they would considering purchasing ...
Wells Fargo Bank and Bank of America dominated the FHA jumbo market during the first six months of 2011, accounting for a third of total jumbo loan originations during the period, according to Inside FHA Lendings latest analysis of the sector. The two financial institutions outdistanced their competitors by producing a total of $3.04 billion in FHA-insured mortgage loans, nearly a third of the $10.2 billion of government-insured jumbo loans originated during the first half of the year. Top-ranked Wells Fargo generated $1.90 billion in FHA loans exceeding $417,000 for an 18.7 percent market share, while BofA claimed... [Includes two data charts]
Bank of America is currently sitting on $1.4 billion of real estate it acquired upon foreclosure of delinquent FHA-insured loans. The properties are not included in BofAs inventory of foreclosed properties at June 30, 2011, but remain on the banks balance sheet until they are conveyed to the FHA, the bank disclosed in its 2Q11 filings. BofA expects to be reimbursed once the properties are transferred to the FHA for principal and, up to a certain limit, costs incurred during the foreclosure process and interest incurred during the holding period. The bank suspended its foreclosure activities in October 2010 as it began a...
Mortgage lenders faced a rising tide of repurchase requests from the secondary market during the second quarter of 2011, according to an Inside Mortgage Finance analysis of earnings reports from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two government-sponsored enterprises said they realized $4.1 billion in repurchases and indemnifications during the second quarter, up 46 percent from the first three months of the year. It was the second largest repurchase binge on record, trailing only the $5.9 billion reported for the fourth quarter of 2010. Most of the damage was done by ... [contains one data chart]