Foreclosures

Tax lien forfeitures have unjustly taken from thousands of homeowners a combined $860 million in remaining proceeds from foreclosure sales, attorneys claim.

The numbers represented an annual surge of 56% after COVID-19 relief measures expired across most of the country

The increases are partly due to the fact that the pandemic-related property backlog is finally moving forward, but it also stems from recent economic weakness.

Completions also declined in the short-term, but annually they rose sharply, suggesting that the lifting of some pandemic restrictions is allowing them to proceed.

A likely recession will only further the six active players' conservatism in their capital strategies, Fitch Ratings said.

New starts surged 75% compared to a year ago, but repossessions saw their first decline in one-and-a-half years, according to Attom.

More incentives are coming for servicers as a greater number of distressed borrowers get expanded access to more affordable, streamlined modifications.

But late borrower payments slightly grew in November, with 18 metro areas reporting an increase, up from six metro areas in October, CoreLogic's report found.

The measure enacted on Dec. 30, 2022 applies retroactively and could add servicing risks that lending divisions will likely consider in underwriting and pricing on new loans originated in the state.

Despite a large annual increase, new foreclosure starts are still only near 80% of pre-pandemic levels.

If an unusual consumer protection gets rolled back in the state, servicers could get more of a second chance in court and borrowers will lose some protection.

The parent company Ocwen is contesting the award from the arbitrator, who ruled the company made a false offer to the borrower.

California recorded the largest total of new starts, while Illinois, Delaware and New Jersey led all states in the rate of filings during the third quarter, according to Attom.

Three percent of all mortgages were 30 or more days past due on their scheduled payment or in foreclosure in July.

The month ended with 54,000 less properties for which the borrower was at least 30 days or more late on their payments, Black Knight said.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's quarterly report said that the government sponsored enterprises prevented a total of 96,952 foreclosures

Still near historic low levels, the share of borrowers entering the early stages of delinquency in June increased 0.1 percentage point.

Completions in August remained far lower than before COVID-19 arrived in the United States but initial actions rose fast enough to potentially meet expectations that they'll normalize in 2023.

At the same time, the share of overall vacancies fell due to limited inventory, according to a new Attom report.

A few studies released Tuesday add to expectations that the small number of mortgages remaining in forbearance will contribute to a higher foreclosure rate in the future.