Hurricanes Impact Delinquency Rate
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its fourth quarter Foreclosure Prevention Report, which shows that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) completed 67,569 foreclosure prevention actions in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of homeowners helped to 4,040,258 since the start of the conservatorships in September 2008.
The percentage of 60+ days delinquent loans rose from 1.32 percent to 1.65 percent at the end of the fourth quarter primarily as result of the impact of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. A variety of mortgage relief options are available for those affected by natural disasters, including these hurricanes.
FHFA’s report includes data on the Enterprises’ home retention actions, delinquency data and real estate owned (REO) inventory. FHFA publishes the report data in an online, interactive Borrower Assistance Map on FHFA.gov.
Other foreclosure prevention data noted in the quarterly report include:
- Forbearance plans rose significantly to 24,935 during the quarter, driven by the disaster-related forbearance offered to homeowners affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria;
- The Enterprises’ serious delinquency rate increased to 1.18 percent at the end of the fourth quarter;
- The Enterprises’ REO inventory declined 9 percent in the fourth quarter; and
- Delinquent loans by state can be found on page 16.