Freddie Mac Updates Foreclosure, Expense Reimbursement Requirements

Foreclosure Freddie Mac Mortgage Servicing

On May 15, Freddie Mac issued Bulletin 2014-09, which updates foreclosure requirements to (i) permit servicers to begin utilizing the New York Foreclosure Inquest Program as an alternative foreclosure process to accelerate foreclosure actions in New York; (ii) provide servicers with greater flexibility on when to refer a mortgage secured by a primary residence to foreclosure; and (iii) revise foreclosure sale bidding requirements in states with the right of redemption. In addition, the announcement updates expense reimbursement requirements by (i) adding six new income codes for submitting expense reimbursement claims in the Freddie Mac Reimbursement System; and (ii) allowing permitted vendors access to the Reimbursement System for the purpose of submitting claims for servicer reimbursement using the expense and income codes listed in Guide Exhibit 74, Expense and Income Codes for Expense Reimbursement Claims. The announcement also includes several miscellaneous servicing policy changes including (i) an updated submission requirement for multipurpose loan transmittals; (ii) an extended submission time frame for subsequent transfers of servicing requests; (iii) new contact information for reporting a proposed or confirmed reorganization plan that includes a bankruptcy cramdown; and (iv) adding the service loans application to the list of tools and applications that are available to assist servicers in the monitoring of loans.