[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 83 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21265-21266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10601]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4513-N-08]


Credit Watch Termination Initiative

AGENCY: Office of Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing 
Commissioner, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises of the cause and effect of termination of 
Origination Approval Agreements taken by HUD's Federal Housing 
Administration against HUD-approved mortgagees through its Credit Watch 
Termination Initiative. This notice includes a list of mortgagees which 
have had their Origination Approval Agreements (Agreements) terminated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Quality Assurance Division, Office 
of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh 
St. SW., Room B133-P3214, Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-
2830 (This is not a toll free number). Persons with hearing or speech 
impairments may access that number via TTY by calling the Federal 
Information Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HUD has the authority to address 
deficiencies in the performance of lenders' loans as provided in the 
HUD mortgagee approval regulations at 24 CFR 202.3. On May 17, 1999 (64 
FR 26769), HUD published a notice on its procedures for terminating 
origination approval agreements with FHA lenders and placement of FHA 
lenders on Credit Watch status (an evaluation period). In the May 17, 
1999 notice, HUD advised that it would publish in the Federal Register 
a list of mortgagees which have had their Origination Approval 
Agreements terminated.
    Termination of Origination Approval Agreement: Approval of a 
mortgagee by HUD/FHA to participate in FHA mortgage insurance programs 
includes an Agreement between HUD and the mortgagee. Under the 
Agreement, the mortgagee is authorized to originate single family 
mortgage loans and submit them to FHA for insurance endorsement. The 
Agreement may be terminated on the basis of poor performance of FHA-
insured mortgage loans originated by the mortgagee. The Termination of 
a mortgagee's Agreement is separate and apart from any action taken by 
HUD's Mortgagee Review Board under HUD's regulations at 24 CFR part 25.
    Cause: HUD's regulations permit HUD to terminate the Agreement with 
any mortgagee having a default and claim rate for loans endorsed within 
the preceding 24 months that exceeds 200 percent of the default and 
claim rate within the geographic area served by a HUD field office, and 
also exceeds the national default and claim rate. For the eighth review 
period, HUD is only terminating the Agreement of mortgagees whose 
default and claim rate exceeds both the national rate and 300 percent 
of the field office rate.
    Effect: Termination of the Agreement precludes that branch(s) of 
the mortgagee from originating FHA-insured single family mortgages 
within the area of the HUD field office(s) listed in this notice. 
Mortgagees authorized to purchase, hold, or service FHA insured 
mortgages may continue to do so.
    Loans that closed or were approved before the Termination became 
effective may be submitted for insurance

[[Page 21266]]

endorsement. Approved loans are (1) those already underwritten and 
approved by a Direct Endorsement (DE) underwriter employed by an 
unconditionally approved DE lender and (2) cases covered by a firm 
commitment issued by HUD. Cases at earlier stages of processing cannot 
be submitted for insurance by the terminated branch; however, they may 
be transferred for completion of processing and underwriting to another 
mortgagee or branch authorized to originate FHA insured mortgages in 
that area. Mortgagees are obligated to continue to pay existing 
insurance premiums and meet all other obligations associated with 
insured mortgages.
    A terminated mortgagee may apply for a new Origination Approval 
Agreement if the mortgagee continues to be an approved mortgagee 
meeting the requirements of 24 CFR 202.5, 202.6, 202.7, 202.8 or 202.10 
and 202.12, if there has been no Origination Approval Agreement for at 
least six months, and if the Secretary determines that the underlying 
causes for termination have been remedied. To enable the Secretary to 
ascertain whether the underlying causes for termination have been 
remedied, a mortgagee applying for a new Origination Approval Agreement 
must obtain an independent review of the terminated office's operations 
as well as its mortgage production, specifically including the FHA-
insured mortgages cited in its termination notice. This independent 
analysis shall identify the underlying cause for the mortgagee's high 
default and claim rate. The review must be conducted and issued by an 
independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualified to perform 
audits under Government Auditing Standards as set forth by the General 
Accounting Office. The mortgagee must also submit a written corrective 
action plan to address each of the issues identified in the CPA's 
report, along with evidence that the plan has been implemented. The 
application for a new Agreement should be in the form of a letter, 
accompanied by the CPA's report and corrective action plan. The request 
should be sent to the Director, Office of Lender Activities and Program 
Compliance, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room B133-P3214, Washington, DC 
20410 or by courier to 490 L'Enfant Plaza, East, SW., Suite 3214, 
Washington, DC 20024.
    Action: The following mortgagees have had their Agreements 
terminated by HUD:

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                                     Mortgagee branch        HUD office        Termination      Home ownership
          Mortgagee Name                 address           jurisdictions     effective date        centers
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American Mortgage Link Inc.......  260 First Avenue     Tampa, FL..........      12/21/2001  Atlanta.
                                    North, St
                                    Petersburg, FL
                                    33701.
Dynamic Financial Consultants....  502 Hamburg          Newark, NJ.........      12/21/2001  Philadelphia.
                                    Turnpike, Ste 208,
                                    Wayne, NJ 07470.
Family Home Loan Inc.............  12555 Lakewood       Santa Ana, CA......      12/17/2001   Santa Ana.
                                    Blvd, Ste F,
                                    Downey, CA 90242.
Irwin Mortgage Corporation.......  721 Lyons Road,      Cincinnati, OH.....      12/21/2001  Philadelphia.
                                    Dayton, OH 45406.
Neighborhood Mortgage Bankers Inc  695 Bloomfield       Newark, NJ.........      09/16/2001  Philadelphia.
                                    Avenue, Montelair,
                                    NJ 07042.
Park Shore Mortgage Corp.........  3645 Bonita Beach    Coral Gables, FL...      12/17/2001  Atlanta.
                                    Rd SE, Ste 1,
                                    Bonita Springs, FL
                                    34134.
Sanmar Financial Group Inc.......  110 West Ocean       Los Angeles, CA....      09/16/2001  Santa Ana.
                                    Blvd, Ste 611,
                                    Long Beach, CA
                                    90802.
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    Dated: April 24, 2002.
John C. Weicher,
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 02-10601 Filed 4-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P