Mortgage note

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In the United States, a mortgage note (also known as a real estate lien note, borrower's note) is a promissory note secured by a specified mortgage loan.

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Mortgage notes are a written promise to repay a specified sum of money plus interest at a specified rate and length of time to fulfill the promise. While the mortgage deed or contract itself hypothecates or imposes a lien on the title to real property as security for a loan, the mortgage note states the amount of debt and the rate of interest, and obligates the borrower, who signs the note, personally for repayment. In foreclosure proceedings in certain jurisdictions, borrowers may require the foreclosing party to produce the note as evidence that they are the true owners of the debt. [1]

In Australia

Technical product definitions can vary between countries. In Australia, as example, a mortgage note is a secured (senior debt) debt security (also known as secured credit bond) which can be issued in relation to an entire specified credit transaction (so one isolated and entire loan transaction) or parts thereof. Whilst Australian debt securities are very diverse, mortgage notes by definition refer to transactions that are underpinned by registered mortgage over real property collateral, which offer distinct advantages to secured parties such a indefeasibility, [2] which do not extend to unregistered mortgages.

For the first time in October 2019, through an announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange, fractionalised mortgage notes named "MNotes" were offered as debt securities. [3] In that instance the distinct difference was the structuring of these securities. Instead of one mortgage note per entire transaction, now 1 MNote is issued for every $1.00 of a specified secured credit bond, ranked pari passu with other MNotes issued in respect of one specified transaction and attracting a coupon based on the overall assessment of risk of such underlying transaction. Just like with fixed rate bonds and other debt securities coupon (the yield offered as return) and principal become due upon maturity of the mortgage note or MNote. Yield on mortgage notes and/ or MNotes is reflective of terms offered, liquidity, credit quality,, ranking and type of property collateral. [4]

Like other investment instruments offered within Australia, mortgage notes can only be issued by registered managed investment schemes and/ or holders of an Australian financial services licence [5] outlining all investment terms and conditions

Determinants of mortgage type

For the most part, it is the mortgage note which determines the "type" of mortgage:

Mortgage notes as investments

Like bonds, mortgage notes offer investors a stream of payments over a period of time. Mortgage notes are traded on the secondary market whole or as part of a mortgage-backed security. Unlike bonds, mortgage note prices are quoted as a percentage figure, e.g., 95 for 95%. [6] When determining if a whole-loan mortgage note would make a good investment in one's portfolio, one would need to consider the characteristics and circumstances surrounding the creation of the loan, the collateral or property securing the loan as well as the structure of the loan in conjunction with the borrower's financial background. [7]

Importance

In the United Kingdom, mortgage-related debt amounts to over £1 trillion. [8] In the United States bond market, mortgage-related debt amounts to $6.5 trillion and accounted for 23% of the market as of December 31, 2006. [9] In 2006, $1.93 trillion of mortgage debt was issued on the US bond market; this is roughly the GDP of the United Kingdom, and is larger than any other debt category. [9]

Risks

The risks associated with mortgage notes are very similar to those of bonds:

For a fee, guarantors such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae guarantee mortgage backed securities against homeowner default risk, thus reducing the credit risk associated with mortgage notes.

Investors

Mortgage note buyers are companies or investors with the capital to purchase a mortgage note. If someone is holding a private mortgage, these investors will give cash and take over receiving the monthly payments that were being paid to the previous owner. A mortgage note for these investors are home loans or mortgages that are secured by real estate. Mortgage notes could be anything from $10,000 to tens of millions of dollars.

Note buyers can buy notes on nearly any type of property, although owner-occupied single family houses tend to get the best pricing. A note buyer will offer a certain price based on their perceived risk factors, which include the amount of equity in the property, the payer's credit, the type and condition of the property and surrounding area, elements of the note, etc. Most U.S.-based note buyers will only buy in the 50 states, though some do advertise as being able to buy notes in Canada.

Comparison to other investments

The advantage of a mortgage note over other investments is that a mortgage note will allow one to collect the interest on a monthly basis. There are no sales commissions or fees taken out of a mortgage note investment. [10]

Produce the note defense in foreclosure proceedings

The chain of title of a promissory note is very important to every homeowner in America. The inability to show a complete chain of title and ownership of a promissory note from Lender A to Lender B to Lender C, etc. has become a major impediment in mortgage servicers ability to foreclose on properties in judicial foreclosure states and in relief of stays in Federal Bankruptcy Court. The issue of standing (in other words, the question of who has the legal right to sue), is the foundation of the produce-the-note strategy, which forces a lender prove that it has a legal right to sue. [11]

Attorneys estimate that the documents belonging to as many as 50% of the mortgages made between 2001-2008 have been lost or destroyed, leading to demands by borrowers that the foreclosing party produce the note as evidence of the debt. [12]

Consumer advocates[ who? ] claim that almost all entities attempting to foreclose on homeowners are not the Real Lender, but rather a Servicer collecting monthly payments for a mortgage backed security (MBS) Trust. Therefore, courts have determined that Servicers are not the Real Party in Interest and possess no legal standing to seek relief from the courts.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage law</span> Legal mechanisms used to secure the performance of obligations

A mortgage is a legal instrument of the common law which is used to create a security interest in real property held by a lender as a security for a debt, usually a mortgage loan. Hypothec is the corresponding term in civil law jurisdictions, albeit with a wider sense, as it also covers non-possessory lien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreclosure</span> Legal process where a lender recoups an unpaid loan by forcing the borrower to sell the collateral

Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.

A reverse mortgage is a mortgage loan, usually secured by a residential property, that enables the borrower to access the unencumbered value of the property. The loans are typically promoted to older homeowners and typically do not require monthly mortgage payments. Borrowers are still responsible for property taxes or homeowner's insurance. Reverse mortgages allow older people to immediately access the home equity they have built up in their homes, and defer payment of the loan until they die, sell, or move out of the home. Because there are no required mortgage payments on a reverse mortgage, the interest is added to the loan balance each month. The rising loan balance can eventually grow to exceed the value of the home, particularly in times of declining home values or if the borrower continues to live in the home for many years. However, the borrower is generally not required to repay any additional loan balance in excess of the value of the home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage-backed security</span> Type of asset-backed security

A mortgage-backed security (MBS) is a type of asset-backed security which is secured by a mortgage or collection of mortgages. The mortgages are aggregated and sold to a group of individuals that securitizes, or packages, the loans together into a security that investors can buy. Bonds securitizing mortgages are usually treated as a separate class, termed residential; another class is commercial, depending on whether the underlying asset is mortgages owned by borrowers or assets for commercial purposes ranging from office space to multi-dwelling buildings.

Mezzanine capital is a type of financing that sits between senior debt and equity in a company's capital structure. It is typically used to fund growth, acquisitions, or buyouts. Technically, mezzanine capital can be either a debt or equity instrument with a repayment priority between senior debt and common stock equity. Mezzanine debt is subordinated debt that represents a claim on a company's assets which is senior only to that of the common shares and usually unsecured. Redeemable preferred stock equity, with warrants or conversion rights, is also a type of mezzanine financing.

Foreclosure investment refers to the process of investing capital in the public sale of a mortgaged property following foreclosure of the loan secured by that property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second mortgage</span>

Second mortgages, commonly referred to as junior liens, are loans secured by a property in addition to the primary mortgage. Depending on the time at which the second mortgage is originated, the loan can be structured as either a standalone second mortgage or piggyback second mortgage. Whilst a standalone second mortgage is opened subsequent to the primary loan, those with a piggyback loan structure are originated simultaneously with the primary mortgage. With regard to the method in which funds are withdrawn, second mortgages can be arranged as home equity loans or home equity lines of credit. Home equity loans are granted for the full amount at the time of loan origination in contrast to home equity lines of credit which permit the homeowner access to a predetermined amount which is repaid during the repayment period.

In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan. The collateral serves as a lender's protection against a borrower's default and so can be used to offset the loan if the borrower fails to pay the principal and interest satisfactorily under the terms of the lending agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial mortgage-backed security</span>

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) are a type of mortgage-backed security backed by commercial and multifamily mortgages rather than residential real estate. CMBS tend to be more complex and volatile than residential mortgage-backed securities due to the unique nature of the underlying property assets.

A commercial mortgage is a mortgage loan secured by commercial property, such as an office building, shopping center, industrial warehouse, or apartment complex. The proceeds from a commercial mortgage are typically used to acquire, refinance, or redevelop commercial property.

A secured loan is a loan in which the borrower pledges some asset as collateral for the loan, which then becomes a secured debt owed to the creditor who gives the loan. The debt is thus secured against the collateral, and if the borrower defaults, the creditor takes possession of the asset used as collateral and may sell it to regain some or all of the amount originally loaned to the borrower. An example is the foreclosure of a home. From the creditor's perspective, that is a category of debt in which a lender has been granted a portion of the bundle of rights to specified property. If the sale of the collateral does not raise enough money to pay off the debt, the creditor can often obtain a deficiency judgment against the borrower for the remaining amount.

Equity stripping, also known as equity skimming, is a type of foreclosure rescue scheme. Often considered a form of predatory lending, equity stripping became increasingly widespread in the early 2000s. In an equity stripping scheme an investor buys the property from a homeowner facing foreclosure and agrees to lease the home to the homeowner who may remain in the home as a tenant. Often, these transactions take advantage of uninformed, low-income homeowners; because of the complexity of the transaction, victims are often unaware that they are giving away their property and equity. Several states have taken steps to confront the more unscrupulous practices of equity stripping. Although "foreclosure re-conveyance" schemes can be beneficial and ethically conducted in some circumstances, many times the practice relies on fraud and egregious or unmeetable terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage</span> Loan secured using real estate

A mortgage loan or simply mortgage, in civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination. This means that a legal mechanism is put into place which allows the lender to take possession and sell the secured property to pay off the loan in the event the borrower defaults on the loan or otherwise fails to abide by its terms. The word mortgage is derived from a Law French term used in Britain in the Middle Ages meaning "death pledge" and refers to the pledge ending (dying) when either the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through foreclosure. A mortgage can also be described as "a borrower giving consideration in the form of a collateral for a benefit (loan)".

In finance, subprime lending is the provision of loans to people in the United States who may have difficulty maintaining the repayment schedule. Historically, subprime borrowers were defined as having FICO scores below 600, although this threshold has varied over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subprime mortgage crisis</span> 2007 mortgage crisis in the United States

The American subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the 2007–2008 global financial crisis. The crisis led to a severe economic recession, with millions of people losing their jobs and many businesses going bankrupt. The U.S. government intervened with a series of measures to stabilize the financial system, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Seller financing is a loan provided by the seller of a property or business to the purchaser. When used in the context of residential real estate, it is also called "bond-for-title" or "owner financing." Usually, the purchaser will make some sort of down payment to the seller, and then make installment payments over a specified time, at an agreed-upon interest rate, until the loan is fully repaid. In layman's terms, this is when the seller in a transaction offers the buyer a loan rather than the buyer obtaining one from a bank. To a seller, this is an investment in which the return is guaranteed only by the buyer's credit-worthiness or ability and motivation to pay the mortgage. For a buyer it is often beneficial, because he/she may not be able to obtain a loan from a bank. In general, the loan is secured by the property being sold. In the event that the buyer defaults, the property is repossessed or foreclosed on exactly as it would be by a bank.

Loss mitigation is used to describe a third party helping a homeowner, a division within a bank that mitigates the loss of the bank, or a firm that handles the process of negotiation between a homeowner and the homeowner's lender. Loss mitigation works to negotiate mortgage terms for the homeowner that will prevent foreclosure. These new terms are typically obtained through loan modification, short sale negotiation, short refinance negotiation, deed in lieu of foreclosure, cash-for-keys negotiation, a partial claim loan, repayment plan, forbearance, or other loan work-out. All of the options serve the same purpose, to stabilize the risk of loss the lender (investor) is in danger of realizing.

This article provides background information regarding the subprime mortgage crisis. It discusses subprime lending, foreclosures, risk types, and mechanisms through which various entities involved were affected by the crisis.

Loan modification is the systematic alteration of mortgage loan agreements that help those having problems making the payments by reducing interest rates, monthly payments or principal balances. Lending institutions could make one or more of these changes to relieve financial pressure on borrowers to prevent the condition of foreclosure. Loan modifications have been practiced in the United States since the 1930s. During the Great Depression, loan modification programs took place at the state level in an effort to reduce levels of loan foreclosures.

In structured finance, a tranche is one of a number of related securities offered as part of the same transaction. In the financial sense of the word, each bond is a different slice of the deal's risk. Transaction documentation usually defines the tranches as different "classes" of notes, each identified by letter with different bond credit ratings.

References

  1. Stacy, Mitch (2009-02-17). "Some Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Saying To Banks 'Show Me The Note'". Associated Press.
  2. Bransgrove, Matthew (17 November 2003). "Indefeasibility of Mortgage Title and Exceptions to it" (PDF). College of Law: 4–37.
  3. "Launch of MNotes" (PDF). Australian Securities Exchange. 31 Oct 2019.
  4. Bennett, John (August 2017). "An investor's guide to debt securities" (PDF). National Australia Bank: 21 via Google.
  5. "ASIC's regulatory guidance on compliance with the financial services regime". Australian Securities & Investments Commission.
  6. Wiedemer, John (2001). Real Estate Finance, 8th Edition. Prentice Hall. p. 57.
  7. "Determining Market Value of a Mortgage Note". Amerinote Xchange. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  8. Thornton, Philip (2006-06-30). "UK mortgage debt soars through £1 trillion". The Independent.[ dead link ]
  9. 1 2 "U.S. Bond Market Issuance Increases in 2006; Equity, Higher Credit Risk Asset Classes Top Performers" (PDF). Research Quarterly. February 2007.
  10. "Mortgage Notes 101: Are They Good Future Investments?". Urban Kenyans. 23 June 2021.
  11. "Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure". Investopedia.
  12. Branson, Michael (2009-02-24). "Produce Me The Note Or No Foreclosure Today". Huliq News.