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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 87 Ocwen also revealed the states where it had completed the highest number of loan modifica- tions, with California leading the pack. During 2017, Ocwen reported 5,450 loan modifica- tions in the Golden State and $91.6 million in mortgage debt forgiven. Florida came in second, with 4,300 loan mods and $107.7 million in debt forgiveness, followed by New York (3,950 mods and $156.2 million forgiveness), Texas (3,050 mods and $12.6 million forgiveness), and New Jersey (2,325 mods and $113.2 forgiveness). NORTH CAROLINA RoundPoint Selected as Sub-servicer for NLS RoundPoint Mortgage Servicing Corpora- tion (RPMS), the North Carolina- based non- bank mortgage servicing company, announced its selection as a subservicing partner for Neighborhood Lending Services (NLS). NLS is Illinois' largest nonprofit mortgage lender and an affiliate of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Inc. (NHS), a nonprofit neighborhood revitalization organization. RPMS services loans for a variety of com- munity banks, credit unions, private equity firms, and mortgage banks, as well as dedicates itself to providing asset management services to the nonprofit sector. In recognition of the company's commitment, NLS has chosen RPMS as its subservicer. "We chose RoundPoint Mortgage Ser- vicing because of its best-in-class systems, customer-centric operating model, and robust reporting tools," said Robin Coffey, NHS's Chief Credit Officer. "e transfer of our initial loans could not have gone smoother." RPMS is a fully licensed agency and non- agency subservicer, able to service loans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. e corporation is cur- rently servicing over $75 billion worth of mort- gage assets, comprised of its own assets and loans subserviced for many other investor types nationwide. RPMS is also an approved ser- vicer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to servicing loans guaranteed by Fannie Mae, RPMS services for third parties and loans involved in FDIC structured and shared loss transactions. NLS was established in 1987 as an affiliate of NHS to respond to a growing need for creative and flexible loan products in low-to- moderate-income communities. NLS provides mortgage lending in neighborhoods through- out Chicago, Elgin/northeast Kane County, and south suburban Cook County. "NLS provides much-needed capital for its low-to-moderate-income customers, and with RoundPoint's subservicing expertise, we are well positioned to support them in their efforts to improve their customer service and grow," said Allen Price, SVP Business Development. TEXAS Homebuyers Growing More Diverse in the Lone Star State Diversity and prices paid for homes in Texas are on the way up, according to the Texas Homebuyers and Sellers Report released Wednesday by the Texas Association of Realtors. e report found that the percentage of homebuyers who identified as African-Amer- ican was 8 percent this year, up from 5 percent the previous year. A similar uptick showed up among Asians. Seven percent of Texas home- buyers identified as Asian, which is up from 4 percent a year ago. At the same time, buyers who identified as Hispanic remained consistent with prior years at 14 percent. "We have seen greater ethnic diversity among homebuyers over the last few years, which is an encouraging trend," said Kaki Lybbert, Chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors. "At the same time, median house- hold income in the state went up. at's good news for Texans because our home prices have continued to rise in most areas as well." According to the report, median household income among Texas homebuyers increased from $94,200 to $101,400, which is notably higher than the national numbers. Nation- ally, the median income of homebuyers was $88,800. e median home price paid among Texas homebuyers was $259,500, "significantly higher than the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University's estimation of $150,000 as a home price for entry-level and first-time homebuy- ers," the report states. Single buyers in Texas showed small down- turns. Single female homebuyers decreased 3 percent to 16, while single male buyers fell 1 percent to 8. On the other hand, the percent- age of married Texas homebuyers increased 2 points to 68 percent. reverse mortgage, HELOC transactions, REO and non-default purchase and sale transactions, and bulk single-family purchases and refinances. Premium Title's customized solutions integrate directly with leading loan origination software, creating efficiency in the closing process. Premium Title is ALTA Best Practices certified and the only title service provider to hold a #1 rating from Morningstar. Premium Title is part of the Altisource Port- folio Solutions S.A. family of businesses. Ocwen Financial Reports Foreclosure Data Falling behind in payments doesn't have to mean a borrower is doomed to lose their home. Lenders and servicers are often willing to work with the borrower to find options that allow the borrower to remain in their home while they try to catch up and climb out of their financial hole. Ocwen Financial Corpora- tion, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has put a concrete figure to that broader truism, announcing that the company had helped approximately 45,650 families avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes during 2017. Ocwen said that, of these nearly 50,000 borrowers, some Ocwen worked with directly, while others sought mortgage modification assistance through various non-profit agencies. Ocwen reported forgiving approximately $857 million in mortgage debt during 2017. Begin- ning in 2008 and leading up to December 31, 2017, Ocwen granted approximately 765,200 loan modifications nationwide and forgave more than $18.5 billion in debt. is type of borrower assistance is crucial, given the makeup of Ocwen's portfolio, which the company has reported as being "comprised in large part of non-conventional mortgages that have higher than average delinquency rates." As of December 31, 2017, the delin- quency rate on Ocwen's mortgage portfolio was approximately 9.3 percent. "Ocwen leads the industry in offering in- novative mortgage loan modifications, and is proud to help homeowners across the country find solutions that allow them to remain in their homes," said Jay Williams, SVP, Servicing Financial Operations. "Given the challenging nature of our portfolio, it is incumbent upon the company to design products and strategies that serve a diverse customer base. Our 2017 bor- rower assistance results show that we continue to make progress in our effort to be one of the nation's leading mortgage servicers."

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