Inspector General Report Urges FHFA To Consider Lender-Placed Insurance Suits

Freddie Mac Fannie Mae FHFA Force-placed Insurance

On June 25, the FHFA Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a report that urges the FHFA to consider whether to pursue servicers and insurers for alleged lender-placed insurance (LPI) losses. The OIG cited prior determinations by state insurance regulators that LPI rates in their respective jurisdictions allegedly were excessive and that those rates may have been driven up by profit-sharing arrangements under which servicers allegedly were paid to steer business to LPI providers. The OIG believes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “have suffered considerable financial harm in the LPI market.” The OIG explained that using a methodology similar to that utilized by a state insurance regulator, it estimates that for 2012 alone the combined financial harm due to “excessively priced LPI” amounted to $158 million. The OIG acknowledged that its assessments did not consider compensation already received by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac from repurchase requests. The report also notes that the FHFA has yet to complete an assessment regarding the merits of potential litigation to recover alleged financial damages associated with the LPI market, but recommends that the FHFA do so and take appropriate action in response. In its response to the report, the FHFA concurred and pledged to complete the review in the next 12 months. The FHFA also pointed out that its litigation assessment would differ from the review conducted by the OIG and would consider potential legal arguments and litigation risks, economic assessments, and relevant public policies.