Servicing

Distressed homeowners who first took advantage of deferrals in March of last year will either start repayment or look for new solutions in September.

The end of many COVID relief plans in September have the industry holding its breath, with outcomes potentially foreshadowing the months to come.

The overall pace of both entries and exits slowed, even as the private-label securities and portfolio loan segment saw a spike in its numbers.

Marked declines in loans that have had relatively higher levels of pandemic-related distress reinforced other indicators suggesting the market could normalize if infection rates remain contained.

But 45% of the top 100 counties still have an above-average likelihood that borrowers won’t make their payments on these business-purpose loans, RealtyTrac said.

The move adds to signs that the broader restart of foreclosures won’t get fully underway until 2022.

The agency developed measures taking effect Aug. 31 that, among other things, will allow lenders to prioritize foreclosures of the most impaired loans and then focus on modifying salvageable ones.

The company attributed its second quarter loss to competitive pricing pressures and GSE-imposed charges.

The number of people exiting pandemic-related payment suspensions starting in September will be daunting to process, according to a Black Knight report published Monday.

States have the option of adopting the oversight framework issued by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, which resembles capital and liquidity plan proposed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The potential amendments could expand coverage but also add new record-keeping and systems requirements for large banks handling custodial accounts.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.

The relatively low share of borrowers who were distressed in June adds to signs that the offramp from government relief measures may not lead to an overwhelming wave of foreclosures.

The meager increase suggests the largest boost in inventory possible would likely still leave the backlog of homes on the market at historic lows.

The return of more normalized numbers for two key players in the home loan market could be the lead-up to a wave that’s been anticipated since the coronavirus arrived.

Those handling loan modifications anticipate a growing secondary market for loans in forbearance as they budget cautiously for additional alterations of regulations down the road.

The change makes it easier for borrowers exiting forbearance to get access to home retention options that might otherwise be out of reach due to skyrocketing home prices.

Fewer borrowers are suspending payments for pandemic hardships but some who got back on track are having trouble again, and deadlines could spur a final round of new requests.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a temporary final rule that allows mortgage servicers to initiate foreclosures on abandoned properties and certain delinquent borrowers, but it also outlined additional measures that shield distressed homeowners.

So far companies plan on using roughly the same number of employees as they shift from handling payment suspensions to assessing borrowers who have seen long-term declines in their incomes.