Servicing

HAMP loan modifications are performing much better than proprietary restructurings, according to the Treasury Department's latest monthly report on the program.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is moving ahead with a rule that prohibits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from dealing in mortgages on properties encumbered by "certain" private transfer fees.

The National Credit Union Administration plans to sell another $1.26 billion of its corporate bailout bonds this week, after last week's successful offering of $1.51 billion worth.

Today’s hot topic in the mortgage world is about how loan servicing will be valued. LendingTree’s chief executive Cameron Findlay says it is about time since existing systems—designed for and proven to work well in normal market conditions—clearly are inefficient in the current market.

A 'qualified residential mortgage' rule which does not include a mandate for mortgage insurance will not necessarily harm the MI industry, according to a new report from FBR Capital Markets.

FCI Lender Services, Anaheim Hills, Calif., said it sold roughly $8 million of problem mortgages through its auction website during the past three months.

Can there be any doubt that servicing holds sway over the current mortgage market? 2010 saw 1.3 million foreclosures, another record, with predictions of higher yet in 2011. The robo-signing scandal threw an unwelcome spotlight on the shoddy foreclosure practices of the big servicers. Government programs like HAMP and HAFA tried valiantly all last year to make a difference in the default logjam (without quite achieving it).

Nearly 45% of banks surveyed by the Federal Reserve increased their holdings of single-family loans in the second-half of 2010 – and half are now forecasting they will increase their holdings even more as the year progresses.

Fannie Mae has added an expanded multifamily mortgage-backed securities execution that will allow DUS Mega deals to be syndicated and managed by broker-dealers with the aim of offering them in issuance sizes similar to DUS REMICs.

Citigroup late last month sold a $517 million portfolio of nonperforming mortgages, according to market sources.