Distressed

As the government shutdown enters its third week, mortgage servicers are activating the response plans they normally use during hurricanes and wildfires to assist federal workers who may have trouble paying their mortgages.

After falling to its lowest level in over 12 years, servicers expected September's surge in delinquencies following the damage of Hurricane Florence, according to Black Knight.

Destruction from Michael's storm surge and flooding has potential to affect 57,000 homes, with a worst-case total of $13.4 billion in reconstruction cost value, according to CoreLogic's latest estimates.

Florence's flooding and wind destruction affected about 700,000 residential and commercial properties across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to CoreLogic's latest estimates.

A new financial technology company called Scratch is planning to use a new web-based platform along with an alternative pricing model to compete with companies that service mortgages and other consumer loans.

Just 5.1% of the $91 million of liens backing the transaction are vacant, down from 9.2% of the prior deal; this allowed the sponsor to borrower more heavily against the value of hte collateral.

There was a modest decline in hurricane-related delinquent mortgages in February, a sign that there are lingering problems in the affected markets.

Over 40% of the collateral is from two 2016-vintage transactions that were recently "collapsed" because proceeds from liquidations had slowed. Then there's the exposure to Puerto Rico.

The vast majority of default servicing professionals are investing in "significant" REO property improvements to increase resale values in a hot housing market.

Credit Suisse's plan for consumer relief in a multibillion-dollar Department of Justice settlement related to residential mortgage-backed securities could reduce the costs involved, according to the settlement monitor's first report.