Foreclosure Ally
Foreclosure fiasco: The latest
Major mortagage servicers are broadening their investigations into the possible mishandling of foreclosures.
Ally Financial said Tuesday it has hired outside accounting and legal firms to examine its foreclosure procedures in all 50 states. That effort will not look at individual cases.
Ally also said it would review pending foreclosure sales to ensure that all documents are accurate.
In addition, Ally had previously announced that it was temporarily suspending evictions and post-foreclosure closings in the 23 states in which judges must sign off before someone loses their home.
The company, previously known as GMAC, the finance arm of General Motors, will continue its internal review in those 23 states.
Ally Financial said it has found no evidence of any inappropriate foreclosures.
0:00 /3:10The face of faulty foreclosure
Separately, both Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) and Litton Loan Servicing said Tuesday they were modifying their foreclosure processes.
A spokesman for Wells Fargo, one of the nation’s largest loan servicers, said the bank is conducting additional reviews of documents, but is not freezing foreclosures.
Litton said in a statement that it “has suspended foreclosure proceedings in certain cases while it completes a review of its procedures.”
Freezing foreclosures: What does that mean?
Several other major lenders, including Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), are also reviewing documents to determine whether shortcuts may have jeopardized the accuracy of foreclosure proceedings.
All told, 1.8 million loans are in foreclosure in the 23 so-called judicial states, while 1.3 million are pending elsewhere in the country, according to a Morgan Stanley analyst report.
The announcements by Wells Fargo and Litton bring the number of loan servicers that are investigating irregularities to at least six. Here’s where things stand:
Bank of America: The nation’s largest servicer has halted foreclosure sales in all 50 states. The bank said the foreclosure process will continue, but it will not proceed to judgment or a foreclosure sale.
JPMorgan Chase: The bank is reviewing 56,000 foreclosure cases in 23 states that require a judge to sign off on a foreclosure, and is reviewing documents in additional states.
PNC Financial Services (PNC, Fortune 500): The company has halted some foreclosure proceedings while it conducts a review of documents.
Litton: The Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) subsidiary has suspended foreclosure proceedings in certain cases while it completes a review of its procedures.
Ally: The lender previously announced that it was temporarily suspending evictions and post-foreclosure closings in judicial states, and has hired independent contractors to conduct a review of processes in all 50 states.
Wells Fargo: The bank is conducting additional reviews of documents, but is not freezing foreclosures.
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