Fannie Mae Updates Standard Deed-In-Lieu of Foreclosure Requirements

Foreclosure Fannie Mae Mortgage Servicing Servicing Guide

On October 17, Fannie Mae issued Servicing Guide Announcement SVC-2013-21, which revises servicers’ responsibilities in finalizing standard deed-in-lieu of foreclosures (DILs). Servicers now must (i) complete a final interior property inspection no more than two business days following the receipt of the executed deed and all related documents, (ii) not complete final acceptance of the executed DIL until after they have received the results of the final property inspection, (iii) submit the case into HomeSaver Solutions Network (HSSN), regardless of the transition option chosen, to complete final acceptance of the DIL, and (iv) submit the REOgram within 24 hours of the date the servicer completes final acceptance of the executed DIL. The announcement also excludes from the three-month transition option program eligibility criteria the following requirements: (i) that at least three payments have been made since origination or since the last modification, (ii) that the loan is not 12 or more months delinquent when referred to Fannie Mae for transition option consideration, and (iii) that the borrower is not involved in an active bankruptcy proceeding. Finally, the announcement informs servicers that they are no longer required to ensure that a borrower will assign and transfer any rents to Fannie Mae and will collect rental income.