Delinquencies

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria said a virus-induced financial crisis might give rise to more delinquencies and foreclosures than the 2007 subprime mortgage meltdown.

The agency has relaxed some reporting requirements and joined other regulators in encouraging banks to help borrowers, but pressure is building on the bureau to do more to aid consumers suffering financial hardship.

Detroit-based mortgage giant Quicken Loans could be facing a cash crunch in coming weeks and possibly need temporary emergency federal assistance if lots of borrowers stop making payments on their home mortgages during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a news report.

The Federal Reserve Board should create a dedicated facility for mortgage servicers to access in order to make required advances, industry participants and observers, including its largest trade group, said.

Mark Calabria said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are currently equipped to handle elevated delinquencies, but they might need congressional or Federal Reserve help if fallout from the coronavirus persists.

Banks may be protected from a direct hit, but they have invested in vehicles that include such loans, potentially exposing them to defaults.

Any impact from the coronavirus outbreak on commercial and multifamily loan delinquencies won't be known for some time, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

While boosting origination volume for lenders and providing financial benefits for borrowers, the refinance boom could have adverse effects down the road, according to TransUnion.

Mortgage delinquencies dropped to a 40-year low in the fourth quarter as strong employment bolstered borrowers' ability to make timely payments, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

With steady home price appreciation and falling interest rates, by some measures the shares of distressed mortgages existing in the market shrunk to record lows, according to Black Knight.

Default rates for prime jumbo mortgages will increase, but a strong economy and rising home prices will bail most borrowers and lenders out, Moody's said.

Non-QM lending is expected to grow again in 2020, but it has some obstacles to navigate. Altisource CRO John Vella shares his insight into the sector and other hot topics.

The nationwide mortgage delinquency rate had its best October in at least two decades, while the foreclosure rate remained at a 20-year for the twelfth straight month, according to CoreLogic.

The percentage of home loans with late payments is unlikely to fall much further in 2020 when mortgages made to lower credit-score borrowers could rise slightly, according to TransUnion.

Most commercial and multifamily loan delinquency rates remained near record lows in the third quarter extending a long run of declines in the securitized market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The third-quarter delinquency rate fell to its lowest point since 1995, according to the MBA. However, Attom Data Solutions' numbers show foreclosure filings experienced a near-term growth spurt in October.

Overall home-loan delinquencies remain near 20-year lows, but in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, they are inching up in moves that may be tied to local economic concerns.

There are many ways to mark the economic progress since the Great Recession: over 100 months of job gains, record low unemployment and a long bull run on Wall Street.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities sector will weather the fourth quarter's slowing but steady growth in the U.S. economy, as better loan performance counters a continued decline in volume, Morningstar said.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage delinquency rates should stay at historically low levels in the near future even as economic uncertainty over trade affects U.S. businesses, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.