Servicing

Half of all home sales in the first quarter involved first-time homebuyers and the National Association of Realtors expects more new buyers will be entering the market to take advantage of low prices and distressed property sales. "Close to 455,000 buyers purchased their first home during the first quarter, and those are likely just the first wave of new buyers coming into the market," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said. "Housing affordability conditions are at record levels and we expect a measurable increase in home sales in the second half of this year, which would help stabilize prices in most areas," he said. An NAR survey also found that half of all sales in the first quarter involved foreclosed properties and short sales, which continue to put downward pressure on prices. At NAR's Washington conference, some Realtors noted that first time buyers are competing with investors for foreclosed properties.

Looking to "take advantage of a space screaming for help," Mortgage Warehouse Network, Houston, is rolling out a turnkey solution to help depositories enter the warehouse lending arena. Company chief operating officer Jeff White said its services consist of everything but "pushing the button on the wire for the bank." MWN said it provides the back office and systems, plus experienced personnel, while the bank controls the credit parameters. The warehouse lending sector is in the throes of a severe credit crisis with many banks and Wall Street firms leaving the business or unwilling to lend because of high capital requirements and eroding home values. The target bank for Mortgage Warehouse Network is one with $5 million in capital and willing to leverage it on a 10-to-one basis.

After losing money for all of last year, Farmer Mac earned $34 million in the first quarter of 2009, citing valuation gains from financial derivatives and trading assets. In trading Tuesday its share soared 112% to $7.69. Michael Gerber, president of the government-sponsored enterprise, said, "As we look ahead, we expect any credit losses to remain within manageable levels." He noted that, lenders in the agricultural and rural utilities sectors continue to face capital markets and economic challenges. Farmer Mac increased its capital surplus to $67 million at the end of March from $13 million at December 31. Its delinquencies totaled 1.9%. Formerly known as the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp., Farmer Mac provides liquidity to agricultural real estate and rural housing lenders. It purchases eligible loans directly from lenders and guarantees securities.

Ginnie Mae guaranteed $34.5 billion in mortgage-backed securities in April for the second consecutive month, compared to $28 billion in February and $27.3 billion in January. "We are steadily growing," said Ginnie president Joseph Murin. Ginnie Mae single-family MBS totaled $33.8 billion and multifamily totaled $707 million in April. Ginnie I single-family MBS totaled $26.8 billion in April — $1.4 billion less than in the previous month. However, Ginnie II single-family multiple issuer pools totaled $6.6 billion, up $1.1 billion from the previous month.

The ten largest unsecured creditors of the recently bankrupted Thornburg Mortgage include banks and Wall Street firms that were owed at least $4.6 billion, according to court records. The nature of the debts include senior subordinated notes, master repurchase agreements, and junior notes. The top three unsecured creditors are owed (combined) $3.2 billion and include Wilmington Trust ($1.3 billion), Royal Bank of Scotland ($1 billion), and Credit Suisse ($911 million). A jumbo lender based in Santa Fe, Thornburg filed for Chapter 11 protection in Maryland, listing debts of more than $1 billion. It was a publicly traded REIT. At last check this once high flying "super jumbo" lender had a servicing portfolio of about $16 billion — all of it jumbos or super jumbos.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will ask Congress for expanded commitment authority for Ginnie Mae and the Federal Housing Administration single-family program, allowing the government to insure up to $400 billion of new mortgages in fiscal 2010. HUD estimates that FHA will endorse $290 billion of single-family loans in FY 2009, which ends September 30. The government estimates that FHA loan production will continue at a torrid pace until private mortgage markets recover. "For FY 2010, we are asking Congress for the authority to endorse up to $400 billion of loans," HUD secretary Shaun Donovan told the National Association of Realtors at its mid-year legislative conference. The housing secretary stressed that FHA will be able to provide this level of support for the mortgage market without a congressional appropriation and without raising FHA mortgage insurance premiums or changing the premium structure. "FHA will continue to be a source of stable, reasonably priced safe financing in the marketplace." Mr. Donovan said.

Byte Software, Kirkland, Wash., has released the BytePro Loan Modification Edition, designed to help servicers process modifications under the Treasury's Home Affordable Modification Program (HMP). The BytePro Loan Modification Edition allows servicers to process HMP modifications from initial borrower contact through completion of the modification. It automatically calculates the interest rate, term, and balance of the modified loan in accordance with Treasury mandates, and it produces all the documents that must be executed by the borrower and servicer. For loans that do not qualify for the HMP program, the software provides the ability to modify loans according to the lender's own parameters.

Lend America, Melville, N.Y., has launched a new website for institutional investors looking to monetize their distressed residential mortgage portfolios. The company, a Ginnie Mae issuer, has been working to help institutional investors monetize portfolios by using the government's Hope for Homeowners program to handle loans that meet that program's expanding qualifications. The company has been one of the most aggressive in its use of the H4H program and recently said it was one of the first to complete to a "satisfactory" level the Department of Housing and Urban Development's pre-closing review period for direct endorsement of the H4H program. This allows it to underwrite, close and insure H4H deals without prior HUD review. The new website can be found at http://www.refiportfolio.com.

American International Group reported a $4.35 billion ($1.98 per share) loss for the first quarter that included a $1.9 billion charge for restructuring costs at AIG Financial Products Corp. Over the past five quarters, AIGFP has reduced its portfolio of collateralized debt obligations (backed mostly by subprime MBS) by more than 40% to $1.5 trillion. AIG also reported that American General Finance Inc., which originates mortgages, lost $203 million in the first quarter, due to a $186 million increase in the provision for finance receivables. Meanwhile, AIG continues to own mortgage insurer United Guaranty Corp. after the split off of its property/casualty business. UGC, based in Greensboro, N.C., had $483 million in operating losses during the quarter. Overall, the first quarter results mark an improvement, compared to AIG's $7.8 billion ($3.09 per share) loss a year ago.

Massachusetts has reached a multimillion dollar settlement with Goldman Sachs & Co. concerning its role in securitizing risky subprime mortgages that are now at the center of the nation's economic crisis. At deadline state Attorney General Martha Coakley was holding a press conference on the matter. The settlement includes a monetary payment and extensive relief to homeowners. The deal with Goldman is the result of the "Attorney General's ongoing investigation of the role of investment banks in the origination and securitization of subprime mortgage loans," according to a statement issued by the AG's office. Compared to its peers on Wall Street, Goldman was not that large of player in subprime securitization - a business dominated by Bear Stearns, Citigroup, Greenwich Capital, Lehman Brothers, and Merrill Lynch.