In some parts of the country, a recovering local economy means the special asset (or problem loan) groups are reducing staff, as loan production groups come back to life. Leaving the special asset group under-staffed could be a mistake if the staff is not able to properly complete basic foreclosure tasks. One basic task is… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Remedies
Subscribe to Remedies RSS FeedHide and Seek: Service of Process as a New Loan Provision
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Remedies, Training, Workout IssuesLenders are refreshing their mortgage loan documents with provisions based on the “lessons learned” during the recent (continuing?) economic experience. One change is to add a service of process provision. The change is based on this basic lesson learned: when the tough times hit, borrowers and guarantors sometimes are hard to find. A few simply… Continue Reading
Even More Bad Boy Liability Events: My List of Liability for Lender’s Losses or Damages
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Guaranty Issues, RemediesIn addition to the events that create “full recourse” liability (for the entire loan), bad boy liability also includes losses or damages incurred by the Lender based upon another list of “bad” events or triggers. I’m sure that Jim Wallenstein will cover this at his presentation during the University of Texas Mortgage Lending Institute. Like… Continue Reading
The List of “Bad Boy” Recourse Liability Events Keeps Growing: My “Roll Up” Version
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Guaranty Issues, RemediesSeveral months ago, I mused that, due to the conservative trending of commercial real estate lending, the list of “bad boy” exceptions (to a “no personal liability” deal) could be viewed as a full recourse deal. In other words, the exceptions to “no liability” could be so expansive or long, the practical reality equates to… Continue Reading
Why Do Lenders Disdain Bankruptcy Court? 2 Cases Show “Why” and Offer Lessons
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersTwo recent cases are good examples of “why” secured lenders, who hold liens on real property, correctly view bankruptcy court as a very, very, very bad place. One case has received a lot of attention, including an appeal of the decision and state legislation; and the second bankruptcy ruling was overturned on appeal. The lessons… Continue Reading
MBA Report Shows Good Trends in Bad Numbers; BUT Judicial Foreclosure is a DRAG (I have questions)
Posted in Articles, Good Times for Lenders, Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersRecently, the Mortgage Bankers Association published its “National Delinquency Survey” for the fourth quarter of 2011. The report covers the delinquency and foreclosures rates on first-lien mortgage loans, and includes @ 88% of all single family homes in the US. Although the survey does NOT cover commercial mortgages, the data gives us important incite on trends AND information on the… Continue Reading
Foreclsoures Mimic Life: New Focus on Fees & Data (How They Met – Natur’lly)
Posted in Remedies, Technology (including Green Buildings)The importance of data and the public sector’s need for cash is a marriage of convenience, and necessity. It just will be. (Annie Oakley calls it “natur’lly.”) In the not so distant future, pairing the two will be assumed; and there will be a short diversion in special asset training programs, where the “wise” will… Continue Reading
Defaulted Hotel (California) Loans: Nice Story in Bloomberg; Here are some practical tips
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders, Workout IssuesNadja Brandt and Kara Wetzel with Bloomberg have a nice piece on the scope of and challenges in dealing with defaulted hotel loans in CMBS pools. It is a good read. And it has been picked up or syndicated in other news media. As I’ve noted before, with a hotel or motel securing the loan,… Continue Reading
Collection Plate: Litigation Against Guarantors or Indemnitors Points to Lessons Learned – Tips on Underwriting & Loan Document Terms
Posted in Guaranty Issues, Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders(More on the Collection Plate collection, which focuses on the recovery side of our work – the bottom line, nitty-gritty, work of getting "back" the money.) Our economic eddy is at the stage where law suits against guarantors or indemnitors, on full payment and performance agreements or on "bad-boy" agreements, are reaching final judgment –… Continue Reading
Foreclosure Myths: Urban Myths on how to STOP a Foreclosure or Void the Loan (really??)
Posted in FAQs, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersThe topics of "stopping the foreclosure" or "voiding the loan" have a life of their own, and many in reality simply are urban myths. They are good examples of "when" and "why" a lawyer should be consulted. I hear these topics all the time – in the context of both consumer debt and commercial debt: "If you… Continue Reading
Foreclosure Myths: There Should Be No Mystery About Foreclosing CMBS Or Agency Loans (Here are a few tips)
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersTommy Bastian has a great presentation on the "myths and reality" of foreclosing in Texas. He addresses several very important and unique attributes surrounding the foreclosure of securitized real estate loans. It is a very popular topic of readers of TT4L. Indeed, Courtney Bristow’s article is a top 5 download on the topic (published here almost… Continue Reading
Why No (little) Mention of UCC Foreclosures In Dispute?
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders, TrainingQuestion: so, what is the deal with so little (OK, almost zero) mention of law suits, disputes and muck-rucking involving UCC (personal property) foreclosures and commercial loans? Answer: because a UCC foreclosure sale can be, depending upon the facts, just . . . a bad place for a lender to be. Bad. If Your Collateral is Personal… Continue Reading
Receivership Sales Are NOT Automatic: Lender Should Keep Other Options Open
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for LendersWith all the focus on receiverships and sales by receivers, we should not forget one important point: a lender should NOT focus all of its recovery or resolution strategy upon a receivership sale. Two stories reported by two CA papers show us that a sale by a receiver is no slam dunk. Receivership Sale Stopped: Two… Continue Reading
Moody’s Report on Increase Use of Short Sales of Residential Loans: What About Commercial Real Estate?
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersThe National Mortgage News recently commented on a Moody’s finding that short sales (described below) increasingly are being used as a tool to mitigate losses on distressed residential loans. Faced with increased liquidation costs due to lengthy foreclosure processes and advances for taxes, insurance and maintenance or repair costs, National Mortgage News notes (from the Moody’s report)… Continue Reading
Tips on Bad Boy Carveouts: Don’t Overlook These (Surprising?) Sources of Liability
Posted in Remedies, Single Purpose Entity, Tough Times for LendersRecourse against individual owners or sponsors (and\or their operating companies) is a significant leverage point for any lender in a distressed commercial real estate loan. Both CMBS loans and portfolio loans (typically life company) technically are “non-recourse” in that the lender agrees to look to the collateral for the ultimate recovery of the loan. However, the… Continue Reading
Receiverships: Federal Court Receiver or State Court Receiver? Which is Better? (part II)
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for LendersThis is a continuation of my focus on receiverships, and the elementary decision of whether to seek a receivership from a Federal Court or a State Court. Brian Vanderwoude deals with receiverships on a regular basis, and this is his list (part II) of questions that come into play as a lender or servicer makes this… Continue Reading
Receiverships: Federal Court Receiver or State Court Receiver? Which is Better?
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for LendersReceiverships are a common remedy for commercial real estate lenders and servicers. (Nice summary by Christy Myatt and another one from CCIM.) In an earlier blog, Talmage Boston gave us some guidance on receiverships in Texas. As Talmage noted, a key decision is the choice of whether to pursue the appointment of a receiver in… Continue Reading
Commercial Leases & Rents: Practical Comments on Rents for the Loan Originator, Loan Admin and Special Servicer
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders, Workout Issues“assignment of rents” “Uniform Assignment of Rents Act” “Texas Property Code chapter 64″ “lock box” “notices” “absolute assignment of rents” “collateral assignment of rents” “recourse event”
Lesson Learned in Finding Waldo: Lenders Focus on Notice Provisions
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Market Trends, RemediesWhere is Waldo" isn’t just for kids. Tracking down a guarantor or key principal to give formal, legal notice of a law suit can be tougher than the most challenging "where is Waldo" illustration. I recently closed a new loan, where the lender took this approach in the notice provision, in an attempt to minimize… Continue Reading
Change in the State House: Nevada Law Takes Aim at MERS – A Direct Hit? What Next?
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for LendersThe rifle range is different in Nevada. The target is MERS. Two (yes, 2) years ago I warned about possible changes at the State House, which will be directed at mortgage lenders. This goes to my point that MERS is now squarely in the sights of elected officials. And that is a very different playing… Continue Reading
Receiverships in Commercial Real Estate: Some High Level Tips
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders, TrainingThe use of a receivership probably is the most significant change from other down turns experienced by me in the last 25+ years of commercial real estate finance. Clearly, a receivership is not "new" in states where judicial foreclosure can take months (and now even years) – such as Florida. But receivers are now used even… Continue Reading
Lessons Learned: Foreclosure Process Now Includes Carefully Crafted Affidavits
Posted in Good Times for Lenders, Market Trends, Remedies, Tough Times for Lenders, TrainingRecently I commented that "lender liability" in the current down turn really is all about "lender [lack of] responsibility." Here’s an example of "how" lenders and servicers are refining or improving their approach and process to avoid this new version of lender liability: In situations where multiple parties service a commercial real estate loan, care… Continue Reading
Tenants in Common and Bankruptcy: A Dessert From Hell
Posted in Remedies, Tough Times for LendersMore on my series on a deal structure (tenants in common) that is best summarized by this picture – (Earlier tenants in common topics: painful structure; document & tax issues) Bankruptcy issues, however, can be the toughest challenge in dealing with a tenant in common (TIC) structure. Here are a few of the toughest… Continue Reading
Feds Take Action Against Large “Robo-Signing” Loan Servicers; Points to Federal Solution For MERS?
Posted in Market Trends, Remedies, Technology (including Green Buildings)Note that the following Federal agencies yesterday (Weds, April 13) took action against the use of "robo-signing" practices on the part of numerous, large residential mortgage loan servicers with respect to "how" they process foreclosures (for example, employees sign foreclosure documents without knowledge of the alleged default, the loan file, etc.). The Feds require these servicers to hire outside consultants… Continue Reading