[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5262-5263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2344]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5511-N-07]


Credit Watch Termination Initiative Termination of Direct 
Endorsement (DE) Approval

AGENCY: Office of the 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 
Direct Endorsement (DE) Approval taken by HUD's Federal Housing 
Administration (FHA) against HUD-approved mortgagees through the FHA 
Credit Watch Termination Initiative. This notice includes a list of 
mortgagees which have had their DE Approval terminated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Quality Assurance Division, Office 
of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh 
Street SW., Room B133-P3214, Washington, DC 20410-8000; telephone (202) 
708-2830 (this is not a toll-free number). Persons with hearing or 
speech impairments may access that number through TTY by calling the 
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HUD has the authority to address 
deficiencies in the performance of lenders' loans as provided in HUD's 
mortgagee approval regulations at 24 CFR 202.3. On May 17, 1999, HUD 
published a notice (64 FR 26769), 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 that have had their Approval Agreements 
terminated. On January 21, 2010, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter 2010-03, 
which advised mortgagees of the extended procedures for terminating 
Underwriting Authority of Direct Endorsement (DE) mortgagees.
    Termination of Direct Endorsement Approval (DE Approval): Approval 
of a DE mortgagee by HUD/FHA authorizes the mortgagee to underwrite 
single family mortgage loans and submit them to FHA for insurance 
endorsement. The DE Approval may be terminated on the basis of poor 
performance of FHA-insured mortgage loans underwritten by the 
mortgagee. The termination of a mortgagee's DE Approval 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 DE Approval 
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 quarterly 
review period ending June 30, 2011, HUD is terminating the DE Approval 
of mortgagees whose default and claim rate exceeds both the national 
rate and 200 percent of the field office rate.
    Effect: Termination of the DE Approval precludes the mortgagee from

[[Page 5263]]

underwriting 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 endorsement. Approved loans 
are those already underwritten and approved by a DE underwriter, and 
cases covered by a firm commitment issued by HUD. Cases at earlier 
stages of processing cannot be submitted for insurance by the 
terminated mortgagee; however, the cases may be transferred for 
completion of processing and underwriting to another mortgagee with DE 
Approval 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 reinstatement of the DE 
Approval if the DE Approval for the affected area or areas has been 
terminated for at least six months and the mortgagee continues to be an 
approved mortgagee meeting the requirements of Sec. Sec.  202.5, 202.6, 
202.7, 202.10 and 202.12. The mortgagee's application for reinstatement 
must be in a format prescribed by the Secretary and signed by the 
mortgagee. In addition, the application must be accompanied by an 
independent analysis 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 analysis must be prepared by an independent 
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualified to perform audits under 
Government Auditing Standards as provided by the Government 
Accountability 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 
20410-8000 or by courier to 490 L'Enfant Plaza East SW., Suite 3214, 
Washington, DC 20024-8000.
    Action: The following mortgagee has had its DE Approval terminated 
by HUD:

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                                  Mortgagee home         HUD office          Termination
        Mortgagee name            office address        jurisdiction       effective date   Homeownership center
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Mortgage Source LLC...........  600 Old Country    New York..............         11/1/11  Philadelphia.
                                 Rd., Room 210
                                 Garden City, NY
                                 11530-2011.
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    Dated: December 20, 2011.
Carol Galante,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 2012-2344 Filed 2-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P