Servicing

At the Mortgage Bankers Association Secondary Conference this week, issuers noted their concern about rising delinquency levels, accusations of racial bias in lending, and whether regulators in Albany and Washington are preparing a new campaign against “abuses” in mortgage servicing, the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes.

While particularly high rates of lending have cushioned mortgage companies and banks from the impact in the past, higher rates and thin margins have made efficiency more pressing.

Depository originators lose 68 cents per $1 more than their nondepository competitors.

Lending that can fulfill Biden administration aims around equity and supply, like an FHA premium cut or financing for accessory dwelling units, remain possible, but late-cycle housing risk is a concern.

Mark Calabria, who oversaw the two government giants under Trump and was fired by the Biden administration, said in a recent interview that the government-sponsored enterprises are once again at risk of insolvency.

The agency now sees applications for mortgage-recovery advances approaching 3,000 per month.

The outspoken regulatory chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also said proposed Community Reinvestment Act reform isn’t likely to draw banks back to Federal Housing Administration lending.

Servicers are encouraged to put foreclosures on hold in several circumstances involving the state-distributed housing relief, but they’ll need to request extensions of their normal timelines to do it.

The sale of its correspondent business to Planet Home Lending, divestment in a reverse mortgage lender, Longbridge Financial, and the outsourcing of mortgage servicing rights all reinforce its focus on wholesale, company management said.

The 36% consecutive-month drop could mark the start of a period in which a small wave of financially distressed homeowners sell their homes through alternative means, according to Attom Data Solutions.