Distressed

While foreclosure moratoria keep the overall numbers down, zombie foreclosure rates jumped in the majority of states, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Mortgage companies are working to forge links with homeowners’ insurers to avoid delays that could compound damage to customer service and properties.

Servicers could be dealing with approximately 1.8 million distressed properties when the latest forbearance extension ends in June, Black Knight said.

Independent mortgage banker recovery drove the weekly decrease in forbearance share, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Moratorium extensions helped drive a weekly increase in forbearances, according to Black Knight.

But distress could be compounded in a limited number of state and local areas that have been left out of the broader boom in the market, an Urban Institute report found.

While the Mortgage Bankers Association hailed the move, some experts say it could negatively impact housing inventory.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's recent allowance of a 3-month extension of CARES Act forbearances stands to upend the trend in plan exits.

With President Biden extending the moratorium, foreclosures hit an all-time low at the start of 2021 as millions of delinquent borrowers avoided entering the process, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Gains in consumer financial stability helped to decrease the rates of distressed home loans, but job creation is needed to make recovery sustainable, a CoreLogic report found.

While loan performance is improving in aggregate, some borrowers remained unaware of the relief available or were unable to access it, according to the Research Institute for Housing America.

Meanwhile at Essent, more loans exited the inventory in January than in December.

The housing market’s boom led to more borrowers building home wealth but the pandemic’s negative impact brings concern for underwater owners, according to Attom Data Solutions.

However, the share of new impairments increased, likely as a result of the high concentration of these loans given to self-employed borrowers.

The CARES Act-related forbearances could be “lulling us into a false sense of security” as 12-month expirations approach, according to Black Knight.

The uptick marks only the third increase in consecutive weeks since reaching a peak in May, according to Black Knight.

The move is in line with expectations that the Federal Housing Administration would extend more consumer relief amid the transition in Washington to Democratic leadership.

The uptick follows the pandemic-era trend of midmonth increases in active plans, according to Black Knight.

Remote work and pandemic-induced requirements from the government related agencies forced lenders to pivot on a dime, making it entirely possible that compliance defects will have a larger share in future quarters, Nick Volpe, executive vice president of ACES Quality Management, says.

The company’s 4Q originations were down from the same time in 2019 and the number of overall loans for 2020 marked a decline from the year before.