Facing the worst housing crisis in decades, the mortgage lending industry’s response remains too slow, ad hoc and inconsistent, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC).
The report, titled “Massachusetts Mortgage Industry Report Card: A View of the Foreclosure Crisis from the Perspective of Foreclosure Prevention Counselors,” analyzes 10 of the state’s “major servicers” of mortgage loans.
The report found that Saxon and GMAC are by far the least responsive companies, with overall grades of “D” and “D+,” respectively.
Nonprofit counselors were able to secure loan modifications for just 15 percent of GMAC and Saxon customers, compared to a rate of 24 percent across all companies. The survey also asked counselors to rank each company on a scale of 1-10 for overall speed, responsiveness and effectiveness. Saxon and GMAC tied for last in this area with an average rating of 4.2.
Bank of America/Countrywide and JP Morgan Chase topped the list with overall grades of “B-”. Non profit counselors were able to achieve loan modifications for the customers of these servicers in 24 percent and 26 percent of the cases, respectfully.
Responses to the survey were based on counseling with more than 1,100 Massachusetts homeowners facing foreclosure.