Servicing

Foreclosure prevention actions overall fell for the sixth time in seven months in October, according to the FHFA.

The share of loans with suspended payments remained steady as 2022 ended, but that could change this year if unemployment increases in line with forecasts, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The measure enacted on Dec. 30, 2022 applies retroactively and could add servicing risks that lending divisions will likely consider in underwriting and pricing on new loans originated in the state.

Other investors could step into the breach as depositories depart, and the strain on nonconforming borrowers might not be that bad, recent forecasts suggest.

The overall share of distressed mortgages fell in every state, but the effects of Hurricane Ian led to a small uptick in early-stage late payments compared to one year ago, CoreLogic said.

Foreclosure starts also increased by over 19% between October and November but remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Loans with payments late by a year or more were the biggest sub-category within the distressed portfolios a year ago, but now mortgages that've been late for 30-59 days are.

The uptick in the 60-day-plus metric could reverse the bulk of the decline that occurred between 2019 and 2021.

The Lansing, Michigan-based firm was awarded the contract this spring and takes over from Novad Management Consulting, which had previously serviced government-held HECMs since 2014.

The products are currently limited to a single distribution channel, but the company hasn't ruled out offering them through third-party originators in the future.

Home prices dropped again on a monthly basis in October, exacerbating the loss in home equity among recent buyers, but the size of the falloff was the smallest since June.

The government mortgage-bond insurer's requirements that restrict investor involvement are likely the greatest challenge to finding more purchasers of MSRs, experts said at a servicing conference Monday.

The company was profitable on a net basis but took a comprehensive loss linked to market volatility's effect on mortgage bonds.

The $1.3 trillion decline was the largest quarterly drop in dollar volume and the biggest falloff on a percentage basis since 2009, according to Black Knight.

The company's volume fell behind its wholesale-focused chief competitor's in the third quarter but management foresees potential weakness in the broker channel.

The share of home loans late by more than 30 days or in foreclosure in August inched back down to 2.8% from 3% the previous month, according to CoreLogic.

That's left mortgage servicing rights investors with fewer concerns about runoff, but buyers have less in the way of recapture opportunities.

The automation provider, which could merge with ICE Mortgage next year, is updating secondary market tools sorely needed in a volatile market.

The impairment rate for securitized non-qualified mortgages improved a little in August after increasing slightly the two previous months.

The agreement, the lender and servicer's only such facility, is set to expire at the end of next September.