The lawsuit seeks to recover unspecified damages and penalties from the defendants for using fraudulent mortgage assignments and FHA endorsements to submit tens of thousands of false FHA claims from 2000 through 2010.
Ocwen Financial announced late last week that its planned purchase of mortgage servicing rights on a $39.2 billion portfolio of mortgages from Wells Fargo is on “indefinite hold” due to a request and scrutiny by the New York Department of Financial Services. Industry participants suggest that delays in servicing transfers due to third parties are common and the deal with Ocwen, which largely consists of mortgages in non-agency MBS, will be completed. “Ocwen will continue to work closely with the NYDFS to resolve its concerns about Ocwen’s servicing portfolio growth,” the servicer said. The NYDFS raised concerns that Ocwen doesn’t have enough capacity to handle the significant portfolio growth experienced by the servicer in recent years. Certain nonbank servicers are getting...
Losses incurred for rep-and-warrant claims tied to MBS could total $89 billion eventually. However, banks have already reserved $88 billion, according to some tallies.
A policy shift at the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring admission of guilt in certain cases may encourage wrongdoers in the securities market to litigate rather than settle, resulting in fewer SEC settlements, according to some compliance attorneys. Fear of possible criminal prosecution and the lasting impact of an admission of guilt could compel accused companies and individuals to take their cases to trial rather than negotiate a settlement, warned Philip Stein and Jeremy Sahn, partners in the Miami-based law firm of Bilzin Sumberg. Starting in June 2013, the SEC began requiring...
Industry participants expect that volume will continue to grow as investor demand for commercial MBS remains strong despite some loosening of underwriting standards.
Since Mel Watt was sworn into a five-year term as Federal Housing Finance Agency director on January 6, the former North Carolina Congressman has made no public appearances or policy statements except for canned comments attributed to him in routine FHFA press releases.
The FHFA will show the MI standards to state insurance regulators first, but only if they agree to sign a “non-disclosure” agreement with the FHFA or the government-sponsored enterprises regarding the content they see.
Among the changes on the table are disclosing the loan term, total points and fees, the length of any teaser or introductory rate, and the applicant or borrower’s age and credit score.
New York regulator Lawsky raised concerns about the servicing cost-savings long touted by Ocwen, which are achieved via technology and employees largely located outside of the U.S.
RSS