Correction, the title should read 19 storms are coming. At least that’s the prediction released last month by Colorado State University. The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1st. Homeowners are being urged to prepare for a more than the normal number of hurricanes making landfall, as well as the possibility of another record-breaking year overall. Just as homeowners in potential strike areas make their annual preparations for the possible storms, mortgage servicers should also take the time now to ensure preparedness for escalating disaster relief measures before they are needed.
The mortgage industry, financial services, and FinTech arenas have all received a boost from technology during struggles to provide relief under COVID-19. Whether it be a result of the immediacy and severity of borrower needs, the scale and velocity of transactional requests, or depth of data and digitization capabilities being sought, the pandemic environment has pushed corporations to reevaluate technical innovation from every direction. As this erratic year comes to a close, it creates a very real opportunity to reinvent how you do business by maximizing the progress you’ve already made. Now you can learn how to tap into automation that can free up your organization permanently.
Is the next wave of forbearance upon us?
A new population of borrowers are requesting forbearance, amidst news of overall decreasing forbearance percentages. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s September 21st Forbearance and Call Volume Survey showed that despite a 15-week improvement in forbearance volume for the Government Sponsored Enterprises, Ginnie Mae has experienced two consecutive weeks of rising forbearance requests. Although this trend flattens for the following week, results released this week are expected to show an increase in the total number of mortgages in active forbearance, breaking the previous trend. More importantly, there is a strong indication that a new segment of borrowers will be facing a loss of income, unemployment, and/or delinquency and therefore seek relief through forbearance.
COVID-19 and Hurricane Season Deliver a One-Two Punch for Servicers
As mortgage servicers continue to juggle pandemic relief, we find ourselves in the midst of an unusually overactive hurricane season. If you add extensive disaster relief on top of COVID-19 relief, we could see a real cascading effect as homeowners and servicers are hit with the complexities and rapid pace of changing relief programs, as well as further degradation from the employment and economic impact in areas hit by both. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported a record-breaking number of storms, with the count at nine before August and 13 formed storms before September. A normal full season only produces an average of 12 named storms. The forecast for this season includes seven to 11 hurricanes with the possibility of the total storm count hitting as high as 25. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, remarked, “This is one of the most active seasonal forecasts that NOAA has produced in its 22-year history of hurricane outlooks.”
The Great Forbearance Roll-off is Here
As the summer concludes and many homeowners are preparing for ongoing lifestyle changes under COVID-19, September holds another challenge for mortgage servicers. Approximately 2.2 million mortgage forbearance agreements are set to expire next month. Despite decreasing numbers of homeowners in forbearance, from 8.55 percent reported in early June to 7.8 percent as of July, the domino effect of forbearance roll-off cannot be underestimated. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, homeowners can request a 180-day pause in making their mortgage payments, with an additional 180-day extension also permissible. Many servicers are trying to manage distressed homeowners in 90-day increments in order to stave off the longer-term impacts of non-payment on both the servicer and the homeowner while adding to the number of mortgages set to roll off of forbearance. Are you prepared?
J.D. Power Study Highlights Servicer Gaps Under COVID-19
Mortgage servicers continue to be subjected to overwhelming obstacles as COVID-19 has spun record low delinquency rates into record highs. Attempting to address overburdening requests for relief from distressed homeowners that have lost or fear losing income and/or employment, servicers struggle to stay abreast of day to day challenges. While staff work remotely, servicers have had to implement a new wave of regulatory and investor requirements, amidst the onset of this year’s hurricane season, and record low interest rates producing portfolio inquires and runoff.
Do Mortgage Servicers Have a Plan for Deferral Requests?
Have homeowners grown accustomed to mediocre service when they reach out for assistance from their mortgage servicer? Not in the least - today’s customers not only want the next generation of service, but they also need it. With approximately 4.7 million mortgages in COVID-19 forbearance at the peak back in May, assisting homeowners as they transition back to regular payments and/or seek the next phase of payment relief, is gearing up to be another immense undertaking.
It is hard to imagine that we are approaching the three-month mark for working under COVID-19. Keeping up with industry change as we continue to grapple with pandemic disaster has kept us all on our toes, from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to CFPB guidance to regular investor updates. Now more than ever, vendor partnership is an essential component to success. It's important to partner with an experienced, nimble innovator that can understand your unique needs, in addition to managing the ongoing maze of regulatory guidance.
Self-quarantine resulting from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has propelled the industry into an entirely different mode of doing business. With barely two months passed since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted, mortgage servicers have been thrown into a tailspin. Experiencing what many businesses have in the face of COVID-19, mortgage servicers now have their entire staff (for the most part) working from home, and all customers sitting at home as well trying to make contact for relief services. The exception is that not all businesses have customers receiving a pass to not make payments, while also having to foot the bill for nonpayment. Plus, the regulatory bodies have each issued and continue to update “temporary flexibilities” that require understanding, implementation, and tracking. The cherry on top is that mortgage servicers are now expected to ensure their customers all transition to a secondary relief plan, either six months in or a full year later, that at this juncture, is loosely defined at best.
CARES Act, is Your Organization Clear?
A record number of homeowners have taken advantage of COVID-19 related forbearance, pushing the percentage of mortgages in forbearance up to 7.54 as of April month-end. The real concern today is that the disposition of these loans at the end of forbearance is extremely unclear. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security (CARES) Act, impacted homeowners who have federally backed mortgages can access up to 180 days of forbearance relief with the possibility to extend for an additional 180 days. The current industry concern is that details surrounding what happens when forbearance ends are extremely unclear, which may leave many financially stricken borrowers who took advantage of a COVID-19 forbearance in a precarious situation.
As servicers grapple with the numerous temporary “flexibilities” and “accommodations” that have been recently issued, accurately adhering to credit reporting requirements under COVID-19 may create long term issues for servicers, credit reporting agencies, and consumers. The credit protection offered under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) is fairly nuanced from an implementation perspective and will require significant attention to requirements, implementation, and reporting.
CARES Act Brings Credit Reporting Relief to Consumers
With skyrocketing unemployment, which will invariably lead to more delinquencies, consumers will have access to credit reporting relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) enacted on March 27, 2020. By modifying the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Regulation V, under Section 4021 of the CARES Act, protections have been put in place for consumers that need temporary “accommodations” due to the personal impact of COVID-19 on their livelihood.
COVID-19 – The New Natural Disaster
As the world continues to struggle and change, the way we think of natural disasters evolves and changes along with it. When you hear the term natural disaster, images from the aftermath of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and earthquakes come to mind. Over the last couple of months, we were introduced to a new kind of natural disaster, COVID-19.
Force-Placed Insurance Helps Servicers Manage Disaster Recovery Risk
Disaster risk exposure relative to homeowner’s insurance has become a mounting concern for mortgage servicers as the number of natural disaster events remains high. Servicers need workable strategies to protect mortgage collateral as they face an increasing number of disaster events toppling the $1 billion mark. In this escalating disaster environment, mortgage servicers find themselves chasing insurance coverage options to help minimize their risk exposure.
Servicers get ready … NOAA predicts another “above-normal” hurricane season
The 2019 hurricane season is already off to a troubling start with Hurricane Dorian having caused an estimated $1.5 billion to $3 billion in insurance losses across the Caribbean. Even tropical storm Barry is estimated to have caused as much as $600 million in damage in the Southeast, including Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) updated its predictions for the current hurricane season, increasing expectations for an “above-normal” season.
It has been a difficult year for many rural American families, particularly those that farm. From unprecedented flooding, tornadoes, and tariffs, the “perfect storm” of challenges could have a historical impact on areas of need. During this time, many farmers and homeowners are likely to turn to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Rural Housing Service (RHS) for support. Mortgage servicers have a big part to play in preparing and managing an influx of homeowners seeking disaster relief and loss mitigation options.
With nearly a dozen different disaster relief specific programs and constantly changing foreclosure moratoriums, mortgage servicers shouldn’t need another reason to take disaster preparedness seriously. If you’re still trying to catch up to the pack in deploying technology-enabled workflow and workout solutions to manage the varied rules and requirements tied to disaster relief, Ginnie Mae is making a case for proactively tackling the effects of natural disasters that you can leverage.
How to Make it Through the Maze of Multiple Modification Options
Most servicers’ portfolios include a mix of mortgage programs, reflecting a diverse origination market. Last year, the government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, represented the largest sector having purchased roughly 40 to 50 percent of new originations. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are responsible for a little less than a quarter of the market, with private securitizations accounting for a small 2 percent of new originations, Small Business Administration (SBA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and portfolio loans withstanding.
Over the past few months, Clarifire has published meaningful discussions on the numerous requirements mortgage servicers have taken on to manage disaster relief programs and support homeowners experiencing related financial hardship. Amidst financial remedies, such as forbearance and disaster relief modifications, there is another critical area that servicers look out for in times of disaster…. ensuring property repair doesn’t financially burden borrowers or impair collateral.
How to Stop Operational Disruption from Disasters in 2019
The extent to which natural disasters are hitting the United States is beyond historical servicer casualty planning. The three costliest natural catastrophes in the world occurred here in 2018. As all servicers can attest, navigating record-breaking natural disaster has epitomized operational disruption. This year is likely to produce a whole new set of homeowners in need of disaster relief, continuing to put the onus on servicers to triage these issues in real time. As this trend continues, servicers should take the lessons learned from 2018 to rethink and strategize how to more effectively manage the effects of future occurrences.
Regulatory Roller Coaster - The Ongoing Ride For Servicers
Over the past decade, mortgage servicers have had a front row seat to a dramatic transformation of the regulatory and investor landscape. Just about the only thing that has been consistent since the financial crisis is change. Simply identifying and staying abreast of ongoing updates has been an enduring challenge for servicers, who are trying to make the most of available resources.
Solving the Complex Puzzle of Disaster Relief
With an unprecedented number of US natural disasters in 2018, servicers remain in the mode of assisting borrowers that have been impacted. In addition to handling ongoing cases, every new contact necessitates that servicers immediately begin to triage borrower circumstances. With each government entity stipulating their own unique requirements, servicers face a conundrum as they endeavor to analyze and execute on different modification options across disparate timelines and qualifying criteria.
Seasonal Delinquency Spikes Collide with Natural Disasters
Interest rate increases, natural disasters, and seasonal changes can cause dramatic swings in delinquencies, oftentimes making it difficult for servicers to accurately forecast an uptick in foreclosure volume ahead of time. An annual September spike in mortgage delinquencies is one of the more predictable industry trends; however, this September’s figures, which were published a few weeks ago, may have caught some servicers by surprise, and could indicate a hefty ramp up in loss mitigation efforts is on the horizon.
How Are You Handling Disaster Relief Demand?
Is hurricane season over? Not if you’re a loan servicer. Given the skyrocketing amount of devastation caused by hurricanes, wildfires, flooding and other natural disasters, loan servicers are faced with developing a complete process for relief that begins when disaster strikes. Historically, disaster relief was an infrequent and isolated issue, allowing servicers to manage assistance on a manual, ad hoc or one-off basis. In today’s environment, the volume of natural disasters, the geographic breadth, and extent of recent changes to investor requirements, make this approach a risky venture.
Is Your Team Disaster Relief Ready?
What does it mean to be disaster ready? As a servicer you’re already juggling a variety of change initiatives at any given time, with unreasonably thin margins and minimal resources. Beyond basic system enhancements to your loan servicing system…
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