h/t refinblog

Dated: October 13, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen:

This Notice is given by The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Trustee”), as trustee or indenture trustee under the Pooling and Servicing Agreements and Indentures and related Sales and Servicing Agreements (collectively, the “Governing Agreements”) governing the Settlement Trusts. The purpose of this Notice is to inform the beneficial owners of the Subject Securities and other persons potentially interested in the Settlement Trusts that the requirements of Subparagraphs 2(e) and 2(f) of the Settlement Agreement have been satisfied in full on October 5, 2015 and October 13, 2015, respectively, and that therefore the “Approval Date” under the Settlement Agreement has occurred on October 13, 2015.

Subparagraph 2(e) of the Settlement Agreement conditions Final Court Approval on the receipt of certain private letter ruling(s) from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) with respect to the Settlement Trusts and provides that the Trustee shall cause the submission of a request for such private letter ruling(s) to the IRS and use reasonable best efforts to pursue such request. Subparagraph 2(f) of the Settlement Agreement conditions Final Court Approval on the receipt, at the Trustee’s request, of an opinion of Trustee tax counsel with respect to certain states concerning the same matters that would be covered by the requested private letter ruling(s).

In a prior informational notice, dated June 29, 2015 (the “June 2015 Informational
Notice”), the Trustee informed the beneficial owners of the Subject Securities and other persons
potentially interested in the Settlement Trusts that on April 8, 2015, the Trustee submitted to the
IRS a request for private letter ruling(s) under Sections 860A-860G of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) with respect to the Settlement Agreement (the “Private
Ruling Request”). The Trustee further informed the beneficial owners of the Subject Securities
and other persons potentially interested in the Settlement Trusts that the Trustee expected
delivery of the opinions contemplated under Subparagraph 2(f) of the Settlement Agreement
shortly after the issuance by the IRS of the private letter ruling(s) requested in the Private Ruling
Request.

The Trustee hereby provides notice that on October 5, 2015, Trustee’s tax counsel
received, on behalf of Trustee, a private letter ruling from the IRS (PLR-113051-15) that
satisfies the requirements of Subparagraph 2(e) of the Settlement Agreement in all respects (the
“Private Letter Ruling”). A copy of the Private Letter Ruling is attached as Exhibit B hereto.
The Trustee hereby provides further notice that on October 13, 2015, the Trustee
received opinions from Trustee tax counsel (the “Tax Opinions”) that satisfy the requirements
of Subparagraph 2(f) of the Settlement Agreement in all respects.

As a result of the foregoing, the “Approval Date” under the Settlement Agreement has
occurred on October 13, 2015. Accordingly, among other things, (i) the servicing improvements
set out in Subparagraph 5(c) of the Settlement Agreement and the reporting and attestation
obligations set out in Subparagraph 5(f) of the Settlement Agreement are now in effect; (ii)
pursuant to Subparagraph 3(c)(iv) of the Settlement Agreement, the Expert is required to
calculate the Allocable Share of each Settlement Trust within ninety (90) days of October 13,
2015, and (iii) pursuant to Subparagraph 3(a) of the Settlement Agreement, Bank of America
and/or Countrywide are required to pay the Settlement Payment or cause the Settlement
Payment to be paid in accordance with Subparagraph 3(b) of the Settlement Agreement within
one-hundred and twenty (120) days of October 13, 2015.

The Trustee expects to provide one or more additional informational notices (x) after
the Expert determines the Allocable Share of each Settlement Trust in accordance with
Subparagraph 3(c) of the Settlement Agreement and (y) after Countrywide and/or Bank of
America inform the Trustee of the date on which the Settlement Payment will be paid in
accordance with Subparagraph 3(b) of the Settlement Agreement (at which time the Trustee
expects to also give notice concerning the applicable distribution date on which the Settlement
Trusts’ Allocable Shares will be distributed to Investors in accordance with Subparagraph 3(d)
of the Settlement Agreement).

This Notice is not intended to be and should not be construed as investment, accounting,
financial, legal or tax advice by or on behalf of the Trustee, or its directors, officers, affiliates,
agents, attorneys or employees. Each person receiving this Notice is urged to carefully review
the Notice and should seek the advice of its own advisors in respect of the matters set forth
herein.

If you have any questions regarding this Notice, please contact the Trustee by email at
Questions@cwrmbssettlement.com or by telephone at (866) 294-7876 or (614) 569-0289.

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as
Trustee for the Settlement Trusts

[…]

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION AS RECEIVER FOR GUARANTY BANK
Plaintiff,

-against-

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,
Defendant.

NATURE OF ACTION

1. This is an action for damages against BNY Mellon for its breaches of contractual and statutory duties under the governing agreements, the New York Streit Act, N.Y. Real Property Law § 124, et seq. (the “Streit Act”), and under the federal Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “TIA”), 15 U.S.C. § 77aaa, et seq.1 as Trustee for 12 securitization trusts (the “Covered Trusts”), identified below, which issued residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) purchased by investors, including Guaranty Bank (“Guaranty”).

2. This action seeks to hold BNY Mellon accountable for abdicating its fundamental duties as the trustee to certificateholders such as Plaintiff. Under the agreements governing the Covered Trusts, BNY Mellon accepted virtually all of the powers designed to protect the certificateholders and was compensated for that role. BNY Mellon was essentially Plaintiff’s sole source of protection against breaches of the governing agreements by the other parties to those agreements, including the sponsors that sold the loans to the Covered Trusts and the servicers tasked with servicing the mortgage loans. BNY Mellon, however, shirked its duty to exercise its powers to protect Plaintiff and instead attempted to shorn itself of the responsibilities that trusteeship imports. While BNY Mellon stood idly for years, the sponsors kept defective mortgage loans in the Covered Trusts, servicers reaped excessive fees for servicing the defaulted loans from the Covered Trusts, and Plaintiff was left to suffer enormous losses.

3. The Covered Trusts were created to facilitate RMBS transactions sold to investors from 2005 to 2006. Eight of the RMBS transactions were sponsored by Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (the “Countrywide Trusts”), and four were sponsored by EMC Mortgage Corporation (the “EMC Trusts”) (EMC Mortgage Corporation and Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., are referred to as “Countrywide” and “EMC” respectively, or collectively as the “Sponsors”).

[…]

Reuters-

This spring, traders and analysts working deep in the global swaps markets began picking up peculiar readings: Hundreds of billions of dollars of trades by U.S. banks had seemingly vanished.

“We saw strange things in the data,” said Chris Barnes, a former swaps trader now with ClarusFT, a London-based data firm.

The vanishing of the trades was little noted outside a circle of specialists. But the implications were big. The missing transactions reflected an effort by some of the largest U.S. banks — including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley — to get around new regulations on derivatives enacted in the wake of the financial crisis, say current and former financial regulators.

[REUTERS]

Reuters-

A U.S. regulator sued Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK.N) on Wednesday over $2.06 billion in residential mortgage-backed securities purchased by a failed Texas bank, and accused it of breaching its duties as bond trustee to protect investors.

In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which sued in its capacity as receiver for the former Guaranty Bank, said it suffered more than $440 million in losses when it sold the securities in March 2010.

The FDIC filed a similar lawsuit against US Bancorp (USB.N), another major bond trustee, over more than $248 million of mortgage debt bought by Guaranty, and resulting in “significant” losses when those securities were sold.

[REUTERS]

He has a special thanks to give to the Obama Administration.

Bloomberg-

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. made hundreds of partners rich when it went public in 1999. Its performance since then has turned Lloyd Blankfein into a billionaire.

The chief executive officer of the Wall Street bank for the past nine years, Blankfein has seen his net worth surge to about $1.1 billion as the firm’s shares quadrupled since the initial public offering, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. As the largest individual owner of Goldman Sachs stock, he has a stake in the company worth almost $500 million. Real estate and an investment portfolio seeded by cash bonuses and distributions from the bank’s private-equity funds add more than $600 million.

For Blankfein, the son of a New York postal worker, the accumulation of wealth has been dramatic. He’s one of the few current leaders of a big global bank who reached a senior-executive rank before his firm went public. That won’t happen again anytime soon, as Goldman Sachs was the last major Wall Street firm to end its private partnership.

 [BLOOMBERG]

image: Reuters

Reuters-

HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) was on Monday ordered to face three U.S. lawsuits accusing it of breaching its duties as a trustee overseeing residential mortgage-backed securities that suffered more than $34 billion of losses in the global financial crisis.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said the plaintiff investors, including funds from BlackRock Inc (BLK.N), Allianz SE’s (ALVG.DE) Pacific Investment Management Co and TIAA-CREF, could pursue claims accusing HSBC of breach of contract, and concealing known defects in mortgage loans backing 283 trusts.

“Based on plaintiffs’ detailed allegations, it is indeed plausible to infer that HSBC had actual knowledge of breaches in representations and warranties in the specific loans at issue,” Scheindlin wrote in a 53-page decision. “How HSBC gained this actual knowledge, or whether in fact it had actual knowledge, may be determined through discovery.”

The judge also said the plaintiffs could pursue a conflict of interest claim accusing HSBC of refusing to “rat out” misconduct by loan servicers, hoping that they would “return the favour when the roles were reversed.”

[REUTERS]

Credit-

Millions of consumers will have to absorb a major hit to their household budget in the coming months. About $265 billion in home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) will enter the repayment period in the next few years, according to a study from Experian, and consumers may see their monthly payments spike — in some cases, triple or quadruple what they previously paid.

HELOC originations soared from 2005 up until the start of the housing crisis, and because many HELOCs enter the repayment phase after 10 years, these billions of dollars in outstanding credit balances are just now coming due. This wave of HELOC resets is expected to significantly stress borrowers’ finances and the lending industry.

“This analysis is critical as we want to not only help lenders prepare and understand the payment stress of their borrowers, but also give consumers an opportunity to understand what the impact may be to their financial status and how to be better prepared for it,” said Michele Raneri, Experian’s vice president of analytics and business development, in a statement about the study.

[CREDIT.com]

Sex on the beach….15 yrs!

Continue to destroy the planet….0 yrs!!

Reuters-

Five of the world’s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Citigroup Inc, were fined roughly $5.7 billion, and four of them pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges over manipulation of foreign exchange rates, authorities said on Wednesday.

A fifth bank, UBS AG, will plead guilty to rigging benchmark interest rates, the U.S. Justice Department said.

U.S. banks JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup will pay $550 million and $925 million in criminal fines, respectively, as part of their guilty pleas.

[REUTERS]

Just going to blow right up in their faces AGAIN and I betcha the taxpayers are going to get the bill.

Bloomberg-

JPMorgan Chase & Co., the second-biggest servicer of U.S. mortgages, agreed to buy the right to manage about $45 billion in home loans from Ocwen Financial Corp. starting June 1.

The deal involves servicing rights for 266,000 mortgages owned by Fannie Mae, the New York-based bank said Thursday in a statement that didn’t disclose terms. Bloomberg reported in March that JPMorgan was acquiring the rights.

The agreement will bring JPMorgan’s portfolio for overseeing billing, collections and foreclosures on U.S. mortgages to about $1 trillion, a threshold last exceeded in the fourth quarter of 2013. Its $948.8 billion loan-servicing portfolio as of Dec. 31 trailed only Wells Fargo & Co.’s $1.75 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

[BLOOMBERG]

image: Reuters

April 23, 2015

Contact: Matt Anderson, 212-709-1691

NYDFS ANNOUNCES DEUTSCHE BANK TO PAY $2.5 BILLION, TERMINATE AND BAN INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES, INSTALL INDEPENDENT MONITOR FOR INTEREST RATE MANIPULATION

Widespread Effort by Bank Employees to Manipulate Benchmark Interest Rate Submissions for LIBOR, EURIBOR, TIBOR

Deutsche Bank Employee: This “is a corrupt fixing and DB is part of it!”

Deutsche Bank Employee Seeking to Obtain Lower Rate: “I’m begging u, don’t forget me… pleassssssssssssssseeeeeeeeee… I’m on my knees…”

Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of Financial Services, announced today that Deutsche Bank will pay $2.5 billion, terminate and ban individual employees who engaged in misconduct, and install an independent monitor for New York Banking Law violations in connection with the manipulation of the benchmark interest rates, including the London Interbank Offered Bank (“LIBOR”), the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”) and Euroyen Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate (“TIBOR”) (collectively, “IBOR”).

The overall $2.5 billion penalty Deutsche Bank will pay includes $600 million to the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), $800 million to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), $775 million to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and 227 million GBP (approximately $340 million) to the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Superintendent Lawsky said: “Deutsche Bank employees engaged in a widespread effort to manipulate benchmark interest rates for financial gain. While a number of the employees involved in misconduct have already left the bank, those that remain are being terminated or banned from the New York banking system. We must remember that markets do not just manipulate themselves: It takes deliberate wrongdoing by individuals.”

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is a benchmark interest rate used in financial markets around the world.  It is the primary benchmark for short term interest rates globally, written into standard derivative and loan documentation, used for a range of retail products, such as mortgages and student loans, and the basis for settlement of interest rate contracts on many of the world’s major futures and options exchanges.  It is also used as a barometer to measure the health of the banking system and as a gauge of market expectation for future central bank interest rates.

From approximately 2005 through 2009, certain Deutsche Bank traders frequently requested that certain submitters submit rate contributions that would benefit the traders’ trading positions, rather than the rates that complied with the IBOR definitions. For example, on February 21, 2005, a trader requested of another trader who performed submitter duties on a back-up basis, “can we have a high 6mth libor today pls gezzer?”  The trader/submitter agreed, “sure dude, where wld you like it mate ?”  The trader replied, “think it shud be 095?”  The trader/submitter replied, “cool, was going 9, so 9.5 it is.”  The trader joked, “super – don’t get that level of flexibility when [the usual submitter] is in the chair fyg!” Similarly, on December 29, 2006, a trader wrote to a submitter, “Come on 32 on 1. Mth… Cu my frd.”  The submitter agreed, “ok will try to give you a belated Christmas present…!”

Deutsche Bank also communicated and coordinated with employees of other banks and financial institutions regarding their respective rate contributions in advance of an IBOR submission. On September 7, 2006, a London desk head attempted to obtain a low EURIBOR submission from an external banker at Barclays, “I’m begging u, don’t forget me… pleassssssssssssssseeeeeeeeee… I’m on my knees…”  The external banker replied, “I told them 1 m up is that right?”  The London desk head continued, “please pal, insist as much as you can… my treasury is taking it to the sky… we have to counter balance it… I’m beggin u… can u beg the [a panel bank] guy as well?”   The external banker agreed, “ok, I’m telling him.”

As a bank’s IBOR rates are intended to correspond to the cost at which the bank concludes it can borrow funds, the rates are an indicator of a bank’s financial health.  If a bank’s submission is high, it suggests that the bank is, or would, pay a high amount to borrow funds.  This could indicate a liquidity problem and, thus, that the bank is experiencing financial difficulty.

Traders and submitters at Deutsche Bank were aware that the IBOR rates did not accurately reflect their definitions.  On August 21, 2008, a vice president wrote to an external banker employed at Merrill Lynch, “tibor going down or not?”  The external banker replied, “tibor will go down slightly but not much… euroyen tibor isn’t really reflective of actual money market condition in japan… people just randomly make those numbers up… pretty much like libors tho!”

On July 16, 2009, a managing director and the Head of the London Money Market Derivatives desk discussed the strength and accuracy of the Euro LIBOR panel in comparison to the EURIBOR panel.  The managing director asked, “u think the quality of the euro-libor panel is 4.5bps better than euribor?”  The Head of the London Money Market Derivatives desk responded yes, and the managing director replied, “not so sure, i have a hard time to believe if so many banks say they can better than the market while they are a part of it.”  The Head of the London Money Market Derivatives desk stated, “theyre all lying anyway.”  The managing director replied, “there is a philosophical saying: ‘one greek says: “all greeks are lying” who do u trust?”

On September 4, 2009, a vice president wrote to a trader regarding LIBOR and TIBOR, stating, “am purring 34 for 3m libor and I think am far too high… JPM [JP Morgan Chase] is putting 41 for tibor… I do not understand how come we can have 3m tibor/cash at 56 at DB… DB is the among the lowest libor contribution in all ccys… UBS is corrup/manipulator in tibor fixing… i think putting such a high tibor damage the reputation of deutsche bank… Second, It is not because all the tibors setters are corrupt/manipulators that deutsche bank has to be aswell… It is not because the japanese banks are manipulating the tibor fixing that DB has to do it as well… Tibor is a corrupt fixing and DB is part of it!”

From approximately 2007 through 2009, a number of large international banks were receiving negative press coverage concerning their high and potentially inaccurate LIBOR submissions.  Certain articles questioned particular banks’ liquidity position regarding the high LIBOR submissions and, as a result, the banks’ share prices fell.  Various Deutsche Bank senior managers circulated and discussed these articles.

On October 4, 2007, the Head of Short Term Interest Rate Trading in Australia and New Zealand forwarded an article, which reported a rumor that a large European bank was struggling for financing, including to senior management, commenting on the instability of the market, specifically in regards to bank illiquidity, and commented, “This market has the feel that we are about to have another run and panic on funding in my opinion just a gut feeling looking at the behavior of LIBORS if we look at the 3mth fix over the lst few days since we have gone over the TURN of the year there has been a bit of pressure… this feels like the period where we were edging up ever so slight back in early august where we fixed at 5.36 for months on end and then started edging up before the panic set in.” Later that day, a group head within the Global Finance and Foreign Exchange Unit forwarded the email to  a London desk head, directing, “Make sure our libors are on the low side for all ccys.”

Terminations and Bans of Individual Deutsche Bank Employees

As a result of the investigation, numerous employees that were involved in the wrongful conduct discussed in this Order, including those in management positions, have been terminated, disciplined or are otherwise no longer employed by the Bank, as a result of their misconduct.

However, certain employees involved in the wrongful conduct remain employed at the Bank.  The Department orders the Bank to take all steps necessary to terminate seven employees, who played a role in the misconduct but who remain employed by the Bank: one London-based Managing Director, four London-based Directors, one London-based Vice President, and one Frankfurt-based Vice President.

Additionally, ten of the individuals centrally involved in the misconduct were previously terminated as a result of the investigation.  Four of these employees were reinstated pursuant to a German Labour Court determination, and two of them remain at the Bank. Those employees that were reinstated due to the German Labour Court decision who remain at the Bank shall not be allowed to hold or assume any duties, responsibilities, or activities involving compliance, IBOR submissions, or any matter relating to U.S. or U.S. Dollar operations.

Superintendent Lawsky thanks the U.S. Department of Justice, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority for their work and cooperation in this investigation.

To view a copy of the NYDFS order regarding Deutsche Bank, please visit, link.

Yahoo-

NEW YORK (Reuters) – In 2007, a Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc employee emailed his boss with his view of a sample of mortgages underlying a bond that the bank was underwriting: “This one is crap.”

Asked about it this week in Manhattan federal court, Brian Farrell, the employee, said he did not recall the deal. But a U.S. regulator cited the email as evidence that Nomura Holdings Incand RBS made false statements about mortgage securities they sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The email and others like it are part of a $1.1 billion lawsuit by the Federal Housing Finance Agency against Nomura and RBS that went to trial this month. The messages add to a litany of arguably embarrassing electronic musings by bank employees that have resurfaced in litigation over the 2008 financial crisis.

[YAHOO]

Source: OCWEN

Ocwen Financial Intends to Sell Additional $25 Billion Portfolio of Mortgage Servicing Rights to Nationstar

ATLANTA, March 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ocwen Financial Corporation (NYSE:OCN) announced today that its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”) and Nationstar Mortgage LLC, an indirectly-held, wholly-owned subsidiary of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE:NSM) (collectively “Nationstar”) have agreed in principle to the sale by Ocwen of residential mortgage servicing rights on a portfolio consisting of approximately 142,000 loans owned by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with a total principal balance of approximately $25 billion. Subject to a definitive agreement, approvals by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHFA and other customary conditions, Ocwen and Nationstar expect the transaction to close before mid-year.

“This transaction, on top of the one announced in February between Ocwen and Nationstar, furthers our announced corporate strategy and demonstrates the strong working relationship we have developed with Nationstar,” said Ron Faris, Chief Executive Officer of Ocwen.

“This transaction builds upon our strong track record of portfolio acquisitions while serving the needs of homeowners, and we look forward to expeditiously closing and boarding this portfolio,” said Jay Bray, Chief Executive Officer of Nationstar. “We will continue to work cooperatively with Ocwen as they evaluate the sale of additional agency portfolios and look forward to continuing discussions with all counterparties.”

About Ocwen Financial Corporation

Ocwen Financial Corporation is a financial services holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the servicing and origination of mortgage loans. Ocwen is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices throughout the United States and support operations in India and the Philippines. Utilizing proprietary technology, global infrastructure and superior training and processes, Ocwen provides solutions that help homeowners and make our clients’ loans worth more. Ocwen may post information that is important to investors on its website (www.Ocwen.com).

About Nationstar

Based in Dallas, Texas, Nationstar earns fees through the delivery of quality servicing, origination and transaction based services related principally to single-family residences throughout the United States. Additional corporate information is available on the investors tab at www.nationstarmtg.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Forward-looking statements and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: adverse effects on our business as a result of recent regulatory settlements; reactions to the announcement of such settlements by key counterparties; increased regulatory scrutiny and media attention, due to rumors or otherwise; uncertainty related to claims, litigation and investigations brought by government agencies and private parties regarding our servicing, foreclosure, modification and other practices; any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings; our ability to effectively manage our regulatory and contractual compliance obligations; the adequacy of our financial resources, including our sources of liquidity and ability to fund and recover advances, repay borrowings and comply with debt covenants; our servicer and credit ratings as well as other actions from various rating agencies, including the impact of recent downgrades of our servicer ratings; volatility in our stock price; the characteristics of our servicing portfolio, including prepayment speeds along with delinquency and advance rates; our ability to contain and reduce our operating costs; our ability to successfully modify delinquent loans, manage foreclosures and sell foreclosed properties; uncertainty related to legislation, regulations, regulatory agency actions, government programs and policies, industry initiatives and evolving best servicing practices; as well as other risks detailed in Ocwen‘s reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its annual report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2013 (filed with the SEC on 08/18/14) and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 (filed with the SEC on 10/31/14). Anyone wishing to understand Ocwen‘s business should review its SEC filings. Ocwen‘s forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except for our ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Investors: Stephen Swett T: (203) 614-0141 E: shareholderrelations@ocwen.com Media: John Lovallo T: (917) 612-8419 E: jlovallo@levick.com Dan Rene T: (202) 973-1325 E: drene@levick.com

Bloomberg-

Hoping to deliver relief to Americans pounded by the financial crisis, the government has poured billions of dollars into a sort of Red Cross for homeowners.

NeighborWorks America, a nonprofit chartered by Congress, distributes much of that money to counseling groups that dispense mortgage advice and sometimes financial aid.

A close look at the group reveals a house in disorder — with sweetheart contracts, document fudging and unexplained departures of top officials.

[BLOOMBERG]

Photographer: Bilyana Dimitrova via Bloomberg

REUTERS-

Ocwen Financial Corp (OCN.N) said it was selling residential mortgage servicing rights worth $9.6 billion to a subsidiary of Walter Investment Management Corp (WAC.N).

The deal is the latest in a series of steps by Ocwen to slim down its operations amid regulatory scrutiny over its business practices.

Ocwen, which delayed filing its full-year results, also said it was reviewing the ability of its affiliate, Home Loan Servicing Solutions Ltd (HLSS.O), to meet obligations to fund new servicing advances.

[REUTERS]

Reuters-

A U.S. housing regulator is set to take two of the world’s biggest banks to trial on Monday to try and recoup more than $1 billion in damages over mortgage bonds sold to government-run mortgage finance companies ahead of the 2008 economic crisis.

Lawyers for the regulator will face off with attorneys of Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS.L) in a non-jury trial in Manhattan federal court, one of the few cases spilling out of the financial crisis by the U.S. government to reach trial.

Barring a last-minute settlement, the trial would be the first to result from 18 lawsuits filed in 2011 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to recover losses on some $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities that various banks sold Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB).

[REUTERS]

Reuters-

Morgan Stanley said it will pay $2.6 billion to the U.S. government to resolve potential claims stemming from the sale of mortgage bonds before the financial crisis, reducing its 2014 profit by more than half.

Morgan Stanley increased its legal reserves by about $2.8 billion, which lowered its 2014 income from continuing operations by $2.7 billion, or $1.35 per share, the bank said in a regulatory filing. (1.usa.gov/1FueJWH)

The bank had reported earnings from continuing operations of $5.83 billion, or $2.96 per share, for 2014.

[REUTERS]

ATLANTA, Feb 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) —

Ocwen Financial Corporation OCN, +4.27% announced today that its subsidiary, Ocwen Loan Servicing, LLC (“Ocwen”) and Nationstar Mortgage LLC, an indirectly held, wholly owned, subsidiary of Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. NSM, +10.20% (collectively “Nationstar”), have signed an agreement in principle for the sale by Ocwen of residential mortgage servicing rights on a portfolio consisting of approximately 81,000 performing loans owned by Freddie Mac with a total principal balance of approximately $9.8 billion. Subject to a definitive agreement, approvals by Freddie Mac and FHFA and other customary conditions, Ocwen and Nationstar expect the transaction to close by March 31, 2015 and the loan servicing to transfer in April 2015.

“This transaction represents the first step in the execution of our previously-announced strategy to transfer certain types of non-strategic servicing,” said Ronald M. Faris, Chief Executive Officer of Ocwen. “We look forward to exploring additional MSR transactions with Nationstar.”

“We are pleased to enter into an agreement to acquire this portfolio from Ocwen,” said Jay Bray, Chief Executive Officer of Nationstar. “We look forward to expeditiously closing this portfolio and welcome the new customers to Nationstar.”

About Ocwen Financial Corporation

Ocwen Financial Corporation is a financial services holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the servicing and origination of mortgage loans. Ocwen is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices throughout the United States and support operations in India and the Philippines. Utilizing proprietary technology, global infrastructure and superior training and processes, Ocwen provides solutions that help homeowners and make our clients’ loans worth more. Ocwen may post information that is important to investors on its website (www.Ocwen.com).

About Nationstar

Based in Dallas, Texas, Nationstar earns fees through the delivery of quality servicing, origination and transaction based services related principally to single-family residences throughout the United States. Additional corporate information is available on the investors tab at www.nationstarmtg.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Forward-looking statements and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: adverse effects on our business as a result of recent regulatory settlements; reactions to the announcement of such settlements by key counterparties; increased regulatory scrutiny and media attention, due to rumors or otherwise; uncertainty related to claims, litigation and investigations brought by government agencies and private parties regarding our servicing, foreclosure, modification and other practices; any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings; our ability to effectively manage our regulatory and contractual compliance obligations; the adequacy of our financial resources, including our sources of liquidity and ability to fund and recover advances, repay borrowings and comply with debt covenants; our servicer and credit ratings as well as other actions from various rating agencies, including the impact of recent downgrades of our servicer ratings; volatility in our stock price; the characteristics of our servicing portfolio, including prepayment speeds along with delinquency and advance rates; our ability to contain and reduce our operating costs; our ability to successfully modify delinquent loans, manage foreclosures and sell foreclosed properties; uncertainty related to legislation, regulations, regulatory agency actions, government programs and policies, industry initiatives and evolving best servicing practices; as well as other risks detailed in Ocwen’s reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its annual report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2013 (filed with the SEC on 08/18/14) and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 (filed with the SEC on 10/31/14). Anyone wishing to understand Ocwen’s business should review its SEC filings. Ocwen’s forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except for our ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: Investors: Stephen Swett T: (203) 614-0141 E: shareholderrelations@ocwen.com Media: Sard Verbinnen & Co Margaret Popper/David Millar T: (212) 687-8080

Copyright (C) 2015 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Under Nationstar’s Mergers & Acquisitions, It’s current status is pending. http://investors.nationstarholdings.com/mnahistory.aspx?iid=4288863&keydeal=200311

Democracy Now-

In holiday special, we feature a Democracy Now! broadcast exclusive interview with Alayne Fleischmann, the whistleblower who helped the Justice Department force JPMorgan Chase to pay one of the largest fines in U.S. history for its role in the financial crisis. She is featured in a Rolling Stone investigation by recently returned Matt Taibbi, who also joins us. Fleischmann details how she witnessed “massive criminal securities fraud” in the bank’s mortgage operations. Taibbi’s investigation is headlined, “The $9 Billion Witness: Meet the woman JPMorgan Chase paid one of the largest fines in American history to keep from talking.”

[DEMOCRACY NOW]

image: youtube

BusinessWeek-

Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) was ordered to face a $10 billion lawsuit by New York’s attorney general accusing the Swiss bank of fraud in the sales of mortgage-backed securities before the 2008 financial crisis.

A New York State Supreme Court justice rejected the bank’s request to dismiss the case, a move that gives leverage to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to demand internal bank documents and force a settlement. New York demonstrated the bank may have engaged in misconduct, Justice Marcy Friedman said in a Dec. 24 decision, allowing the suit to head toward trial.

In addition to forcing Zurich-based Credit Suisse to defend itself or settle, the ruling may strengthen Schneiderman’s hand in punishing other banks for bad behavior tied to the recession.

[BUSINESS WEEK]

image: BusinessWeek

via: CalReInvest

Fact Sheet: OneWest Bank Expected to Receive Over $2.4 billion from the FDIC

CALIFORNIA
REINVESTMENT
COALITION

Background: When the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) sold IndyMac in 2009 and La Jolla Bank in 2010, it agreed to share losses from bad loans with the billionaire investors who bought the two banks. Under the shared loss agreements, once a certain threshold of loans goes bad, the FDIC agrees to share in the costs of future losses. In July of 2014, OneWest Bank, which has the IndyMac and La Jolla shared loss agreements, announced plans to merge with CIT Group, creating a Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI). While executives from the two banks told community leaders they would answer any questions about the proposed merger, they later refused to answer questions about the shared loss agreements. The California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), a non-profit coalition of over 300 member organizations, was forced to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FDIC to obtain the information.