Mortgage defaults

Communication between all parties in the chain, from borrower through guarantor, is the best way to minimize mortgage losses after events like last year’s hurricanes and wildfires, according to servicers and federal officials.

Mortgage servicers should approach efforts to overhaul their compensated structure with caution, as changes to the status quo "could have ripple effects across the entire real estate finance industry," warned Mortgage Bankers Association Chairman David Motley.

It was a record-setting year in terms of the low number of foreclosure starts, partially helped by the various post-storm moratoria, according to Black Knight.

From responding to natural disasters to emerging technology strategies, here's a look at six top trends on the agenda for the 2018 MBA Servicing Conference.

The strong housing economy in 2017 led to an increase in premiums earned and lower claims costs for Old Republic International's title insurance business.

Frost Bank announced in October that it would be vacating the high-rise building bearing its name on North Carancahua Street in Corpus Christi.

Loans late by 90 days or more are increasingly concentrated in parts of Florida, Georgia and southeast Texas as fallout from the storms continues to weigh on the market.

Foreclosure filings were reported on 676,535 properties nationwide in 2017, marking the lowest level of foreclosure activity since 2005.

Radian Group has improved the capital cushion at its mortgage insurance subsidiary through enhanced reinsurance arrangements and providing cash and marketable securities.

Loan defaults associated with the three late summer hurricanes could have a more immediate effect on MGIC Investment Corp.'s secondary market capital cushion than proposed changes by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.