Strategic Debt Restructuring


Strategic Debt Restructuring

By: Jim Macklin
Secure Document Research

How many property owners in this country experienced the flush of “money for nothin’ and kicks for free” during the build-up to 2008? Champagne, boats, leisurely weekends at the lake all came part & parcel to those who were able and willing to leverage themselves at the urging of their local and national banks.

Obviously, those days were hazy and fast-paced for those caught up in the whirlwind of easy money provided by Wall St. and the MBS profits. I can still see the faces and attitudes of the mortgage brokers, loan officers and title company agents who were suddenly the darlings of the communities across the U.S.

Continue reading “Strategic Debt Restructuring”

OCC Guidance on Potential Issues With Foreclosed Residential Properties

Guidance on Potential Issues With Foreclosed Residential Properties

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has issued the following guidance in respect to foreclosed properties:

OCC 2011-49
Subject: Foreclosed Properties

Date: December 14, 2011

To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations, Department and Division Heads, and All Examining Personnel

Description: Guidance on Potential Issues With Foreclosed Residential Properties

Background
In the current economic environment, national banks and federal savings associations (collectively, banks) are facing challenges resulting from unprecedented numbers of troubled residential mortgage loans. Foreclosures on residential properties also are occurring in unprecedented numbers and are projected to continue this trend in the near term. Among the many consequences of high levels of foreclosures are growing inventories of foreclosed residential and commercial properties. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is providing guidance to banks on obligations and risks related to foreclosed property. This guidance highlights legal, safety and soundness, and community impact considerations.1 It primarily focuses on residential foreclosed properties, but many of the same principles apply to commercial properties. Continue reading “OCC Guidance on Potential Issues With Foreclosed Residential Properties”

Wells Fargo Does It Again – This Time Investors Take a Hit

Wells Fargo Does It Again – This Time Investors Take a Hit

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Since Wells Fargo Bank has been around since the Gold Rush days and are such a large lender and securitizer, you would think that they would have state of the art systems handling the servicing of loans.  Especially in light of the huge rush to securitize anything and everything in the last 10 years.  But apparently the meltdown has moved them beyond what their systems are capable of.  This is probably especialy true given that banks are for the most part not lending much anymore (very limited number of new loans), but the number of loans in default, foreclosure, bankruptcy and REO status has skyrocketed. Pushing through so many foreclosures and processing so many advances and distributions is weighing down on their systems and infrastructure.  In their latest March statements to certificateholders (investors who purchased certificates from securitized trusts), Wells Fargo (usually as a Master Servicer or Servicer) is giving investors this disclosure on the first page of the reports:

 NOTE: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is processing an extraordinary expense charge related to the analysis, creation, and implementation of new and enhanced systems and processes necessitated by significant and unanticipated changes in industry and market conditions.

Continue reading “Wells Fargo Does It Again – This Time Investors Take a Hit”

Anger Growing Over the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Regulation of National Banks

Anger Growing Over the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Regulation of National Banks

By Daniel Edstrom
DTC Systems, Inc.

Instead of regulating the national banks as they have been mandated, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) appears to actually be promoting the outrageous behavior of the banks.  According to various groups, “Right now, more than 500 people are making lots of noise outside the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – the worst bank regulator that you never heard of.   They are demanding that the OCC stop throwing homeowners under the bus in the their tireless efforts to protect the big banks.”

Apparently the OCC does not know that citizens are using the Internet to understand what they are doing.  The OCC believes it can stand up against the very people of this country that it was specifically designed to protect – the citizens who are being used as pawns.  The people are being taken for a ride by the national banks who are and have been operating outside of their authority for many years (at least 5 years, probably much longer).  How can the banks be operating outside of their authority?  When they operate against public policy, including when they have inadequate risk measurements in place and inadequate internal controls.  This is obvious from their actions over the last 5 years – including the use of robo-signers, flagrant notary violations, inadequate affidavits and declarations, etc., etc.  The list goes on and on, but this is nothing new to the OCC.  After all, they have given legal opinions based on this very information.  They know exactly what is going on but apparently refuse to act – or are completely incompetent.  Because they are doing the very opposite of what they have given in their legal opinions, it is apparent that they are not incompetent, but are refusing  to enforce their very own regulations. Continue reading “Anger Growing Over the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Regulation of National Banks”

Split: The Note and the Deed of Trust (Redux)

The Note and Mortgage are split in judicial states the same as the Note and Deed of Trust in non-judicial states.

Split: The Note and the Deed of Trust (Redux)

by Daniel Edstrom

The Note and Mortgage are split in judicial states the same as the Note and Deed of Trust in non-judicial states.

The first issue is that the note was sold in 2005 but the Deed of Trust appears to have been left behind.  For the uninitiated, if the Note and Deed of Trust are split, this causes a nullity.  A nullity means the security interest is lost and the debt becomes unsecured.  In securitization this is standard operating procedure and is one of the issues that we are left to face.  Upwards of 60,000,000 homes may be unencumbered leaving those who own the notes on these houses with no power of sale.  And more considering MERS wasn’t the only party involved in splitting the note from the security instrument.

Who owns these loans if they are unsecured?  That was the whole purpose of creating the securitization diagram in the first place.

The result?  More questions, few answers. Continue reading “Split: The Note and the Deed of Trust (Redux)”