Mortgage defaults

Bucking a national trend, the Tampa Bay area saw an increase in new foreclosure filings in the first half of the year.

The mortgage delinquency rate sits at its lowest point in over 20 years after descending annually for 17 straight months through May, according to CoreLogic. But a broader look at this year's figures could signal a shift in the narrative.

Foreclosure activity dropped 18% in the first half of 2019 compared to a year ago, continuing an 11-quarter streak of sitting below prerecession levels, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Increased consumer debt and the threat of an economic downturn increase the default risk for government-sponsored enterprise mortgages during the first quarter, according to Milliman.

Mortgages auctioned off through a HUD distressed loan sale program perform worse than those unsold and are more likely to result in foreclosure, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Mortgage servicer customer satisfaction levels are among the lowest of any industry as more companies prioritize cost-cutting, regulation and default management over their borrowers, according to J.D. Power.

Mortgage servicers are getting better at helping borrowers avoid foreclosure, as evidenced by a declining auction rate, which was also supported by healthy home equity levels, according to Auction.com.

While seasonal factors were attributed to the monthly rise in mortgage delinquencies for June, the jump was still much higher than last year's fairly steady increase, according to Black Knight.

MGIC reported higher-than-expected earnings, seen as a positive for the other mortgage insurers, plus Flagstar and KeyCorp had strong quarters for their mortgage businesses.

Black Knight created a pair of tools for its MSP servicing system in order to help mortgage services identify loans in their portfolio tied to areas affected by natural disasters.