Tag Archives: Loan Audits

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve Board both announced Tuesday that the independent foreclosure reviews of 14 large servicers issued in April are now under way. About 4.5 million borrowers could have their loans reviewed and potentially be compensated for imposed financial hardship, according to a previous statement by the OCC. The federal regulator says the review will take several months due to the sheer volume of cases to evaluate.

Clayton Holdings announced the formation of a new securitization group dedicated to helping the private market prepare for the return of non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). Clayton Holdings provides customized risk analysis, loss mitigation, operational solutions, and staffing services to the mortgage and fixed income industries. The firm's new securitization group will offer consultative services, as well as loan reviews and due diligence services in readying the secondary market for greater private sector involvement.

Looking Glass Group, a provider of professional consulting services to the financial services industry, has added three mortgage industry veterans to its team: Rebecca Walzak, Melissa Hill, and Janet Peters. Walzak has been named president of the mortgage consulting firm, and Hill and Peters are senior partners. Each brings over 25 years of front line mortgage experience to Looking Glass Group, expanding the firm's ability to support clients in the areas of risk management, quality control, and audits.

Florida-based eMASON, Inc., developer of the Clarifire business process automation software for the financial services industry, has unveiled the Clarifire Community. The Clarifire Community portal allows borrowers, servicers, investors, title agents, real estate agents, regulators, and other mortgage industry players to come together via a single platform to synchronize activities relating to mortgage loans, while ensuring compliance with federal regulations such as single point of contact and borrower communications.

Stewart Lender Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stewart Title Company, now provides nationwide foreclosure file processing reviews for mortgage servicers to ensure their compliance with standard foreclosure practices. The company says these services can also prove beneficial to servicers in preparation for the continued scrutiny and subsequent response to federal and state law enforcement agencies investigating mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing practices.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has signed off on several headline-grabbing arrangements between major lenders and the GSEs to reconcile loan repurchase claims. The results of an investigation released this week, however, indicate approval was made in haste. In response, FHFA has put the brakes on any future repurchase settlements pending further examination of the process in place to assess the true cost of such deals for taxpayer-funded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It will be a long road ahead for the 14 servicers who received consent orders from federal regulators earlier this year. Acting Comptroller of the Currency John Walsh says the servicers will spend the next year or more recompensing for past foreclosure errors. Servicers must hire independent consultants to audit cases from 2009 and 2010, set up dedicated websites and toll-free numbers, and launch massive mailing and advertising campaigns to reach borrowers who may have been affected.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is calling for independent reviews of almost 4.5 million loans. After examining 200 loans from each of 14 major servicers, regulators determined enforcement actions were necessary, but said their review was not nearly enough to answer all questions. In addition to assessments of individual cases, the OCC is implementing a complaint process for borrowers who feel they faced financial harm as a result of an improper foreclosure action.

Aklero Risk Analytics Inc., which provides loan quality and risk mitigation solutions to the mortgage lending industry, has hired John Alarcon as chief financial officer. In this role, Alarcon oversees financial operations, planning, and human resources at Aklero. He brings more than 16 years of senior executive experience to the firm and has held positions in management, finance, and operations at both private and public software, consulting, and financial services companies.

Quality Mortgage Services (QMS) provides mortgage quality assurance and mortgage compliance solutions nationwide, and the company says it's able to perform foreclosure audits for any servicers that need or what a retrospective review. In April, federal regulators directed 14 of the nation's largest mortgage servicers to hire third-party firms to conduct a 'look-back' audit of their foreclosure cases from 2009 and 2010. QMS says all servicers should be ensuring they are, and have been, fully compliant with proper foreclosure procedures.