Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Mortgage Servicing Rights

v3.3.0.814
Mortgage Servicing Rights
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Transfers and Servicing [Abstract]  
Mortgage Servicing Rights
NOTE 17 – Mortgage Servicing Rights

The Corporation accounts for consumer MSRs at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in mortgage banking income in the Consolidated Statement of Income. The Corporation manages the risk in these MSRs with derivatives such as options and interest rate swaps, which are not designated as accounting hedges, as well as securities including MBS and U.S. Treasury securities. The securities used to manage the risk in the MSRs are classified in other assets with changes in the fair value of the securities and the related interest income recorded in mortgage banking income.

The table below presents activity for residential mortgage and home equity MSRs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.

Rollforward of Mortgage Servicing Rights
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended
September 30
 
Nine Months Ended
September 30
(Dollars in millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Balance, beginning of period
$
3,521

 
$
4,368

 
$
3,530

 
$
5,042

Additions
185

 
203

 
568

 
581

Sales
(87
)
 
(1
)
 
(399
)
 
(47
)
Amortization of expected cash flows (1)
(213
)
 
(232
)
 
(666
)
 
(699
)
Impact of changes in interest rates and other market factors (2)
(365
)
 
(10
)
 
(73
)
 
(637
)
Model and other cash flow assumption changes: (3)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Projected cash flows, including changes in costs to service loans
11

 
(82
)
 
97

 
(36
)
Impact of changes in the Home Price Index
6

 
5

 
(4
)
 
(2
)
Impact of changes to the prepayment model
(19
)
 
(18
)
 
(10
)
 
142

Other model changes (4)
4

 
10

 

 
(101
)
Balance, September 30 (5)
$
3,043

 
$
4,243

 
$
3,043

 
$
4,243

Mortgage loans serviced for investors (in billions)
$
408

 
$
507

 
$
408

 
$
507

(1) 
Represents the net change in fair value of the MSR asset due to the recognition of modeled cash flows.
(2) 
These amounts reflect the changes in modeled MSR fair value primarily due to observed changes in interest rates, volatility, spreads and the shape of the forward swap curve and periodic adjustments to valuation based on third-party price discovery.
(3) 
These amounts reflect periodic adjustments to the valuation model to reflect changes in the modeled relationship between inputs and their impact on projected cash flows as well as changes in certain cash flow assumptions such as cost to service and ancillary income per loan.
(4) 
These amounts include the impact of periodic recalibrations of the model to reflect changes in the relationship between market interest rate spreads and projected cash flows.
(5) 
At September 30, 2015, includes $2.7 billion of U.S. and $344 million of non-U.S. consumer MSR balances compared to $4.0 billion and $256 million at September 30, 2014.

The Corporation primarily uses an option-adjusted spread (OAS) valuation approach which factors in prepayment risk to determine the fair value of MSRs. This approach consists of projecting servicing cash flows under multiple interest rate scenarios and discounting these cash flows using risk-adjusted discount rates. In addition to updating the valuation model for interest, discount and prepayment rates, periodic adjustments are made to recalibrate the valuation model for factors used to project cash flows. The changes to the factors capture the effect of variances related to actual versus estimated servicing proceeds.

Significant economic assumptions in estimating the fair value of MSRs at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are presented below. The change in fair value as a result of changes in OAS rates is included within "Model and other cash flow assumption changes" in the Rollforward of Mortgage Servicing Rights table. The weighted-average life is not an input in the valuation model but is a product of both changes in market rates of interest and changes in model and other cash flow assumptions. The weighted-average life represents the average period of time that the MSRs' cash flows are expected to be received. Absent other changes, an increase (decrease) to the weighted-average life would generally result in an increase (decrease) in the fair value of the MSRs.

Significant Economic Assumptions
 
September 30, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
 
Fixed
 
Adjustable
 
Fixed
 
Adjustable
Weighted-average OAS
4.63
%
 
7.73
%
 
4.52
%
 
7.61
%
Weighted-average life, in years
4.37

 
3.19

 
4.53

 
2.95



The table below presents the sensitivity of the weighted-average lives and fair value of MSRs to changes in modeled assumptions. These sensitivities are hypothetical and should be used with caution. As the amounts indicate, changes in fair value based on variations in assumptions generally cannot be extrapolated because the relationship of the change in assumption to the change in fair value may not be linear. Also, the effect of a variation in a particular assumption on the fair value of MSRs that continue to be held by the Corporation is calculated without changing any other assumption. In reality, changes in one factor may result in changes in another, which might magnify or counteract the sensitivities. The below sensitivities do not reflect any hedge strategies that may be undertaken to mitigate such risk.

Sensitivity Impacts
 
September 30, 2015
 
Change in Weighted-average Lives
 
 
(Dollars in millions)
Fixed
 
Adjustable
 
Change in
Fair Value
Prepayment rates
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of 10% decrease
0.23

 
years
 
0.19

 
years
 
$
194

Impact of 20% decrease
0.49

 
 
 
0.41

 
 
 
414

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of 10% increase
(0.20
)
 
 
 
(0.17
)
 
 
 
(173
)
Impact of 20% increase
(0.38
)
 
 
 
(0.32
)
 
 
 
(328
)
OAS level
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of 100 bps decrease
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
$
128

Impact of 200 bps decrease
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
266

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Impact of 100 bps increase
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(118
)
Impact of 200 bps increase
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(227
)