Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees
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Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees |
The Corporation securitizes first-lien residential mortgage loans generally in the form of MBS guaranteed by the GSEs or by GNMA in the case of FHA-insured, VA-guaranteed and Rural Housing Service-guaranteed mortgage loans. In addition, in prior years, legacy companies and certain subsidiaries sold pools of first-lien residential mortgage loans and home equity loans as private-label securitizations (in certain of these securitizations, monolines or financial guarantee providers insured all or some of the securities) or in the form of whole loans. In connection with these transactions, the Corporation or certain of its subsidiaries or legacy companies make or have made various representations and warranties. These representations and warranties, as set forth in the agreements, related to, among other things, the ownership of the loan, the validity of the lien securing the loan, the absence of delinquent taxes or liens against the property securing the loan, the process used to select the loan for inclusion in a transaction, the loan's compliance with any applicable loan criteria, including underwriting standards, and the loan's compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Breaches of these representations and warranties may result in the requirement to repurchase mortgage loans or to otherwise make whole or provide other remedies to the GSEs, HUD with respect to FHA-insured loans, VA, whole-loan investors, securitization trusts, monoline insurers or other financial guarantors (collectively, repurchases). In all such cases, the Corporation would be exposed to any credit loss on the repurchased mortgage loans after accounting for any mortgage insurance (MI) or mortgage guarantee payments that it may receive.
Subject to the requirements and limitations of the applicable sales and securitization agreements, these representations and warranties can be enforced by the GSEs, HUD, VA, the whole-loan investor, the securitization trustee or others as governed by the applicable agreement or, in certain first-lien and home equity securitizations where monoline insurers or other financial guarantee providers have insured all or some of the securities issued, by the monoline insurer or other financial guarantor, where the contract so provides. In the case of private-label securitizations, the applicable agreements may permit investors, which may include the GSEs, with contractually sufficient holdings to direct or influence action by the securitization trustee. In the case of loans sold to parties other than the GSEs or GNMA, the contractual liability to repurchase typically arises only if there is a breach of the representations and warranties that materially and adversely affects the interest of the investor, or investors, or of the monoline insurer or other financial guarantor (as applicable), in the loan. Contracts with the GSEs do not contain equivalent language, while GNMA generally limits repurchases to loans that are not insured or guaranteed as required. The Corporation believes that the longer a loan performs prior to default, the less likely it is that an alleged underwriting breach of representations and warranties would have a material impact on the loan's performance.
The Corporation's credit loss would be reduced by any recourse it may have to organizations (e.g., correspondents) that, in turn, had sold such loans to the Corporation based upon its agreements with these organizations. When a loan is originated by a correspondent or other third party, the Corporation typically has the right to seek a recovery of related repurchase losses from that originator. Many of the correspondent originators of loans in 2004 through 2008 are no longer in business, or are in a weakened financial condition, and the Corporation's ability to recover on valid claims is therefore impacted, or eliminated accordingly. In the event a loan is originated and underwritten by a correspondent who obtains FHA insurance, even if they are no longer in business, any breach of FHA guidelines is the direct obligation of the correspondent, not the Corporation. Generally the volume of unresolved repurchase claims from the FHA and VA for loans in GNMA-guaranteed securities is not significant because the requests are limited in number and are typically resolved quickly. At June 30, 2013, approximately 17 percent of the outstanding repurchase claims relate to loans purchased from correspondents or other parties compared to approximately 26 percent at December 31, 2012. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2013, the Corporation continued to recover repurchase losses from correspondents and other parties; however, the actual recovery rate may vary from period to period based upon the underlying mix of correspondents and other parties.
The estimate of the liability for representations and warranties exposures and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss is based upon currently available information, significant judgment, and a number of factors and assumptions, including those discussed in Liability for Representations and Warranties and Corporate Guarantees in this Note, that are subject to change. Changes to any one of these factors could significantly impact the estimate of the liability and could have a material adverse impact on the Corporation's results of operations for any particular period. Given that these factors vary by counterparty, the Corporation analyzes representations and warranties obligations based on the specific counterparty, or type of counterparty, with whom the sale was made. For additional information, see Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Corporation has vigorously contested any request for repurchase when it concludes that a valid basis for repurchase does not exist and will continue to do so in the future. However, in an effort to resolve these legacy mortgage-related issues, the Corporation has reached bulk settlements, or agreements for bulk settlements, including settlement amounts which have been material, with counterparties in lieu of a loan-by-loan review process. The Corporation may reach other settlements in the future if opportunities arise on terms it believes to be advantageous. However, there can be no assurance that the Corporation will reach future settlements or, if it does, that the terms of past settlements can be relied upon to predict the terms of future settlements. For a summary of the larger bulk settlement actions beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010, including the settlement with Bank of New York Mellon (the BNY Mellon Settlement), as trustee (Trustee) for 525 Countrywide first-lien and five second-lien non-GSE securitization trusts (the Covered Trusts), the December 31, 2010 agreements with the GSEs to resolve repurchase claims (the GSE Agreements), the settlement with Assured Guaranty Ltd. and subsidiaries in 2011 (the Assured Guaranty Settlement), and the settlement with Syncora Guarantee Inc. and Syncora Holdings, Ltd. in 2012 see Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The settlement with MBIA Inc. and certain of its affiliates (MBIA) is discussed below.
MBIA Settlement
On May 7, 2013, the Corporation entered into a comprehensive settlement with MBIA which resolved all outstanding litigation between the parties, as well as other claims between the parties, including outstanding and potential claims from MBIA related to alleged representations and warranties breaches and other claims involving certain first- and second-lien RMBS trusts for which MBIA provided financial guarantee insurance, certain of which claims were the subject of litigation (MBIA Settlement). At the time of the settlement, the mortgages (first- and second-lien) in RMBS trusts covered by the MBIA Settlement had an original principal balance of $54.8 billion and an unpaid principal balance of $19.1 billion.
Under the MBIA Settlement, all pending litigation between the parties was dismissed and each party received a global release of those claims. The Corporation made a settlement payment to MBIA of $1.565 billion in cash and transferred to MBIA approximately $95 million in fair market value of notes issued by MBIA and previously held by the Corporation. The Corporation was fully reserved at March 31, 2013 for the MBIA Settlement. In addition, MBIA issued to the Corporation warrants to purchase up to approximately 4.9 percent of MBIA's currently outstanding common stock, at an exercise price of $9.59 per share, which may be exercised at any time prior to May 2018. In addition, the Corporation provided a senior secured $500 million credit facility to an affiliate of MBIA.
The parties also terminated various CDS transactions entered into between the Corporation and a MBIA-affiliate, LaCrosse Financial Products, LLC, and guaranteed by MBIA, which constituted all of the outstanding CDS protection agreements purchased by the Corporation from MBIA on commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Collectively, those CDS transactions had a notional value of $7.4 billion and a fair value of $813 million as of March 31, 2013. The parties also terminated certain other trades in order to close out positions between the parties; the termination of these trades did not have a material impact on the Corporation's financial statements.
Fannie Mae Settlement
On January 6, 2013, the Corporation entered into an agreement with FNMA to resolve substantially all outstanding and potential repurchase and certain other claims relating to the origination, sale and delivery of residential mortgage loans originated from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2008 and sold directly to FNMA by entities related to Countrywide and BANA.
This agreement covers loans with an aggregate original principal balance of approximately $1.4 trillion and an aggregate outstanding principal balance of approximately $300 billion. Unresolved repurchase claims submitted by FNMA for alleged breaches of selling representations and warranties with respect to these loans totaled $12.2 billion of unpaid principal balance at December 31, 2012. This agreement extinguished substantially all of those unresolved repurchase claims, as well as any future representations and warranties repurchase claims associated with such loans, subject to certain exceptions which the Corporation does not expect to be material.
In January 2013, the Corporation made a cash payment to FNMA of $3.6 billion and also repurchased for $6.6 billion certain residential mortgage loans that had previously been sold to FNMA, which the Corporation has valued at less than the purchase price.
This agreement also clarified the parties' obligations with respect to MI including establishing timeframes for certain payments and other actions, setting parameters for potential bulk settlements and providing for cooperation in future dealings with mortgage insurers. For additional information, see Mortgage Insurance Rescission Notices in this Note.
In addition, pursuant to a separate agreement, the Corporation settled substantially all of FNMA's outstanding and future claims for compensatory fees arising out of past foreclosure delays.
Collectively, these agreements are referred to herein as the FNMA Settlement. The Corporation was fully reserved at December 31, 2012 for the settlement with FNMA.
Settlement with the Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee
With regard to the BNY Mellon Settlement, the court approval hearing began on June 3, 2013 in the New York Supreme Court, New York County, and additional hearing days are currently scheduled in September 2013. Although the Corporation is not a party to the proceeding, certain of its rights and obligations under the settlement agreement are conditioned on final court approval of the settlement.
Unresolved representations and warranties repurchase claims represent the notional amount of repurchase claims made by counterparties, typically the outstanding principal balance or the unpaid principal balance at the time of default. In the case of first-lien mortgages, the claim amount is often significantly greater than the expected loss amount due to the benefit of collateral and, in some cases, MI or mortgage guarantee payments. Claims received from a counterparty remain outstanding until the underlying loan is repurchased, the claim is rescinded by the counterparty, or the claim is otherwise resolved. When a claim is denied and the Corporation does not receive a response from the counterparty, the claim remains in the unresolved repurchase claims balance until resolution.
The table below presents unresolved repurchase claims at June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. The unresolved repurchase claims include only claims where the Corporation believes that the counterparty has a basis to submit claims. For additional information, see Whole Loan Sales and Private-label Securitizations Experience in this Note and Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies herein. These repurchase claims do not include any repurchase claims related to the BNY Mellon Settlement regarding the Covered Trusts.
The notional amount of unresolved GSE repurchase claims totaled $1.1 billion at June 30, 2013 compared to $13.5 billion at December 31, 2012. As a result of the FNMA Settlement, $12.2 billion of GSE repurchase claims outstanding at December 31, 2012 were resolved in January 2013. For further discussion of the Corporation's experience with the GSEs, see Government-sponsored Enterprises Experience in this Note.
The notional amount of unresolved monoline repurchase claims totaled $1.5 billion at June 30, 2013 compared to $2.4 billion at December 31, 2012. The Corporation has had limited loan-level repurchase claims experience with the majority of the monoline insurers due to ongoing litigation. In the Corporation's experience, the monolines have been generally unwilling to withdraw repurchase claims, regardless of whether and what evidence was offered to refute a claim. Substantially all of the unresolved monoline claims pertain to second-lien loans and are currently the subject of litigation. As a result of the MBIA Settlement, $945 million of monoline repurchase claims outstanding at December 31, 2012 were resolved in May 2013. For further discussion of the Corporation's practices regarding litigation accruals and estimated range of possible loss for litigation and regulatory matters, which includes the status of its monoline litigation, see Estimated Range of Possible Loss in this Note.
The notional amount of unresolved repurchase claims from private-label securitization trustees, whole-loan investors, including third-party securitization sponsors and others totaled $14.0 billion at June 30, 2013 compared to $12.3 billion at December 31, 2012. The increase in the notional amount of unresolved repurchase claims is primarily due to continued submission of claims by private-label securitization trustees; the level of detail, support and analysis which impacts overall claim quality and, therefore, claims resolution; and the lack of an established process to resolve disputes related to these claims. The Corporation expects unresolved repurchase claims related to private-label securitizations to continue to increase as claims continue to be submitted by private-label securitization trustees and there is not an established process for the ultimate resolution of claims on which there is a disagreement. For further discussion of the Corporation's experience with whole loans and private-label securitizations, see Whole Loan Sales and Private-label Securitizations Experience in this Note.
During the three months ended June 30, 2013, the Corporation received $1.3 billion in new repurchase claims, including $529 million submitted by the GSEs for both Countrywide and legacy Bank of America originations not covered by the bulk settlements with the GSEs, $666 million submitted by private-label securitization trustees, $134 million submitted by whole-loan investors and $2 million submitted by monoline insurers. During the three months ended June 30, 2013, $1.7 billion in claims were resolved, including $945 million resolved through the MBIA Settlement. Of the remaining claims that were resolved, $436 million were resolved through rescissions and $364 million were resolved through mortgage repurchases and make-whole payments, primarily with the GSEs.
During the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Corporation received $3.1 billion in new repurchase claims, including $927 million submitted by the GSEs for both Countrywide and legacy Bank of America originations not covered by the bulk settlements with the GSEs, $1.9 billion submitted by private-label securitization trustees, $268 million submitted by whole-loan investors and $44 million submitted by monoline insurers. During the six months ended June 30, 2013, $14.7 billion in claims were resolved, primarily with the GSEs, including $12.2 billion in GSE claims resolved through the FNMA Settlement and $945 million resolved through the MBIA Settlement. Of the remaining claims that were resolved, $845 million were resolved through rescissions and $675 million were resolved through mortgage repurchases and make-whole payments, primarily with the GSEs.
In addition to, and not included in, the total unresolved repurchase claims of $16.6 billion at June 30, 2013, the Corporation has received repurchase demands from private-label securitization investors and a master servicer where it believes the claimants have not satisfied the contractual thresholds to direct the securitization trustee to take action and/or that these demands are otherwise procedurally or substantively invalid. The total amounts outstanding of such demands were $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion at June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, comprised of $1.3 billion of demands received during 2012 and approximately $300 million of demands related to trusts covered by the BNY Mellon Settlement. The Corporation does not believe that the $1.5 billion of demands outstanding at June 30, 2013 represents valid repurchase claims and, therefore, it is not possible to predict the resolution with respect to such demands.
Mortgage Insurance Rescission Notices
In addition to repurchase claims, the Corporation receives notices from mortgage insurance companies of claim denials, cancellations or coverage rescission (collectively, MI rescission notices). Although the number of such notices received has remained elevated, they have decreased over the last several quarters as the resolution of open notices exceeded new notices. At June 30, 2013, the Corporation had approximately 106,000 open MI rescission notices compared to 110,000 at December 31, 2012. Open MI rescission notices at June 30, 2013 included 45,000 pertaining principally to first-lien mortgages serviced for others, 10,000 pertaining to loans held-for-investment and 51,000 pertaining to ongoing litigation for second-lien mortgages. Approximately 25,000 of the open MI rescission notices pertaining to first-lien mortgages serviced for others are related to loans sold to FNMA. As of June 30, 2013, 38 percent of the MI rescission notices received have been resolved.
Although the FNMA Settlement did not resolve underlying MI rescission notices, the FNMA Settlement resolved significant representations and warranties exposures, including unresolved and potential repurchase claims from FNMA resulting solely from MI rescission notices relating to loans covered by the FNMA Settlement. The Corporation's pipeline of unresolved repurchase claims from the GSEs resulting solely from MI rescission notices was $466 million at June 30, 2013 compared to $2.3 billion at December 31, 2012. The FNMA Settlement resolved approximately $1.9 billion of such unresolved repurchase claims which were outstanding at December 31, 2012. Many of these claims represent repurchase claims on loans for which the Corporation received a MI rescission notice that is included in the 25,000 open MI rescission notices referenced in the paragraph above. In addition, the FNMA Settlement clarified the parties' obligations with respect to MI rescission notices including establishing timeframes for certain payments and other actions, setting parameters for potential bulk settlements and providing for cooperation in future dealings with mortgage insurers. As a result, the Corporation is required to pay the amount of certain MI coverage to FNMA as a result of MI claims rescissions in advance of collection from the mortgage insurance companies and has remitted the amounts required under the agreement related to the 25,000 open MI rescissions notices. In certain cases, it may not ultimately collect all such amounts from the mortgage insurance companies.
For additional information, see Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Cash Settlements
The table below presents first-lien and home equity loan repurchases and indemnification payments for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2013, the Corporation paid $250 million and $758 million to resolve $284 million and $848 million of repurchase claims through repurchase or reimbursement to the investor or securitization trust for losses they incurred, resulting in a loss on the related loans at the time of repurchase or reimbursement of $171 million and $298 million. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2012, the Corporation paid $591 million and $1.0 billion to resolve $723 million and $1.3 billion of repurchase claims through repurchase or reimbursement to the investor or securitization trust for losses they incurred, resulting in a loss on the related loans at the time of repurchase or reimbursement of $145 million and $409 million. The amounts shown in the table below exclude $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion in payments to settle monoline claims for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 compared to $56 million and $131 million for the same periods in 2012. Additionally, the amounts in the table below exclude a cash payment of $3.6 billion made in January 2013 to FNMA and the repurchase for $6.6 billion of certain residential mortgage loans which the Corporation valued at less than the purchase price, both of which were part of the FNMA Settlement.
For additional information, see Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The liability for representations and warranties and corporate guarantees is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet and the related provision is included in mortgage banking income in the Consolidated Statement of Income. The liability for representations and warranties is established when those obligations are both probable and reasonably estimable.
The Corporation's estimated liability at June 30, 2013 for obligations under representations and warranties given to the GSEs and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss considers, and is necessarily dependent on, and limited by, a number of factors, including the Corporation's experience related to actual defaults, projected future defaults, historical loss experience, estimated home prices and other economic conditions. The methodology also considers such factors as the number of payments made by the borrower prior to default as well as certain other assumptions and judgmental factors. See Estimated Range of Possible Loss below for a discussion of the representations and warranties liability and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss.
The Corporation's estimate of the non-GSE representations and warranties liability and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss considers, among other things, repurchase experience based on the BNY Mellon Settlement, adjusted to reflect differences between the Covered Trusts and the remainder of the population of private-label securitizations, and assumes that the conditions to the BNY Mellon Settlement will be met. Since the non-GSE securitization trusts that were included in the BNY Mellon Settlement differ from those that were not included in the BNY Mellon Settlement, the Corporation adjusted the repurchase experience implied in the settlement in order to determine the estimated non-GSE representations and warranties liability and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss. The judgmental adjustments made include consideration of the differences in the mix of products in the subject securitizations, loan originator, likelihood of claims expected, the differences in the number of payments that the borrower has made prior to default and the sponsor of the securitizations. Where relevant, the Corporation also takes into account more recent experience, such as increased claim activity, its experience with various counterparties and other facts and circumstances, such as bulk settlements, as the Corporation believes appropriate.
Additional factors that impact the non-GSE representations and warranties liability and the portion of the estimated range of possible loss corresponding to non-GSE representations and warranties exposures include: (1) contractual material adverse effect requirements; (2) the representations and warranties provided; and (3) the requirement to meet certain presentation thresholds. For more information on these factors, see Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The table below presents a rollforward of the liability for representations and warranties and corporate guarantees.
The representations and warranties liability represents the Corporation's best estimate of probable incurred losses as of June 30, 2013. However, it is reasonably possible that future representations and warranties losses may occur in excess of the amounts recorded for these exposures. In addition, the Corporation has not recorded any representations and warranties liability for certain potential private-label securitization and whole-loan exposures where it has little to no claim activity. The Corporation currently estimates that the range of possible loss for representations and warranties exposures could be up to $4 billion over accruals at June 30, 2013. The estimated range of possible loss reflects principally non-GSE exposures. The estimated range of possible loss related to these representations and warranties exposures does not represent a probable loss, and is based on currently available information, significant judgment and a number of assumptions that are subject to change. The Corporation's estimated range of possible loss related to representations and warranties exposures does not include possible losses related to monoline insurers.
Future provisions and/or ranges of possible loss for representations and warranties may be significantly impacted if actual experiences are different from the Corporation's assumptions in its predictive models, including, without limitation, ultimate resolution of the BNY Mellon Settlement, estimated repurchase rates, estimated MI rescission rates, economic conditions, estimated home prices, consumer and counterparty behavior, and a variety of other judgmental factors. Adverse developments with respect to one or more of the assumptions underlying the liability for representations and warranties and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss could result in significant increases to future provisions and/or the estimated range of possible loss. For example, an appellate court, in the context of claims brought by a monoline insurer, disagreed with the Corporation's interpretation that a loan must be in default in order to satisfy the underlying agreements' requirement that a breach have a material and adverse effect. If that decision is extended to non-monoline contexts, it could significantly impact the Corporation's provision and/or the estimated range of possible loss. Additionally, if court rulings related to monoline litigation, including one related to the Corporation, that have allowed sampling of loan files instead of requiring a loan-by-loan review to determine if a representations and warranties breach has occurred, are followed generally by the courts in future monoline litigation, private-label securitization counterparties may view litigation as a more attractive alternative compared to a loan-by-loan review. Finally, although the Corporation believes that the representations and warranties typically given in non-GSE transactions are less rigorous and actionable than those given in GSE transactions, the Corporation does not have significant experience resolving loan-level claims in non-GSE transactions to measure the impact of these differences on the probability that a loan will be required to be repurchased. For additional information, see Note 13 – Commitments and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The liability for representations and warranties exposures and the corresponding estimated range of possible loss do not consider any losses related to litigation matters, including litigation brought by monoline insurers, nor do they include any separate foreclosure costs and related costs, assessments and compensatory fees or any other possible losses related to potential claims for breaches of performance of servicing obligations, except as such losses are included as potential costs of the BNY Mellon Settlement, potential securities law or fraud claims or potential indemnity or other claims against the Corporation, including claims related to loans insured by the FHA. The Corporation is not able to reasonably estimate the amount of any possible loss with respect to any such servicing, securities law, fraud or other claims against the Corporation, except to the extent reflected in the estimated range of possible loss for litigation and regulatory matters disclosed in Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies; however, such loss could be material.
The Corporation and its subsidiaries have an established history of working with the GSEs on repurchase claims. Generally, the Corporation first becomes aware that a GSE is evaluating a particular loan for repurchase when the Corporation receives a request from a GSE to review the underlying loan file (file request). Upon completing its review, the GSE may submit a repurchase claim to the Corporation. As soon as practicable after receiving a repurchase claim from a GSE, the Corporation evaluates the claim and takes appropriate action. Claim disputes are generally handled through loan-level negotiations with the GSEs and the Corporation seeks to resolve the repurchase claim within 90 to 120 days of the receipt of the claim although claims remain open beyond this timeframe. Disputes include reasonableness of stated income, occupancy, undisclosed liabilities, and the validity of MI claim rescissions in the vintages with the highest default rates.
At June 30, 2013, for loans originated prior to 2009, the notional amount of unresolved repurchase claims submitted by the GSEs was $945 million. The Corporation has performed an initial review with respect to $724 million of these claims and does not believe a valid basis for repurchase has been established by the claimant and is still in the process of reviewing the remaining $221 million of these claims.
At June 30, 2013, for loans originated after 2008, the notional amount of unresolved repurchase claims submitted by the GSEs was $175 million. The Corporation has performed an initial review with respect to $145 million of these claims and does not believe a valid basis for repurchase has been established by the claimant and is still in the process of reviewing the remaining $30 million of these claims.
The Corporation has had limited representations and warranties repurchase claims experience with the monoline insurers due to ongoing litigation against Countrywide and/or Bank of America. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2013, there was minimal repurchase claim activity with the monolines.
The MBIA Settlement resolved outstanding and potential claims between the parties to the settlement involving 31 first- and 17 second-lien RMBS trusts for which MBIA provided financial guarantee insurance, including $945 million of monoline repurchase claims outstanding at December 31, 2012. In addition, this settlement covered loans with an unpaid principal balance of $2.6 billion for which the Corporation had received file requests but for which no repurchase claims had been received as of December 31, 2012. The first- and second-lien mortgages in the covered RMBS trusts had an original principal balance of $29.3 billion and $25.5 billion, and an unpaid principal balance of $9.8 billion and $9.3 billion at the time of the settlement.
For more information related to the monolines, see Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies herein and Note 8 – Representations and Warranties Obligations and Corporate Guarantees to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Corporation's 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The majority of the repurchase claims that the Corporation has received and resolved outside of those from the GSEs and monolines are from third-party whole-loan investors. The Corporation provided representations and warranties and the whole-loan investors may retain those rights even when the loans were aggregated with other collateral into private-label securitizations sponsored by the whole-loan investors. The Corporation reviews properly presented repurchase claims for these whole loans on a loan-by-loan basis. If, after the Corporation's review, it does not believe a claim is valid, it will deny the claim and generally indicate a reason for the denial. When the whole-loan investor agrees with the Corporation's denial of the claim, the whole-loan investor may rescind the claim. When there is disagreement as to the resolution of the claim, meaningful dialogue and negotiation between the parties are generally necessary to reach a resolution on an individual claim. Generally, a whole-loan investor is engaged in the repurchase process and the Corporation and the whole-loan investor reach resolution, either through loan-by-loan negotiation or at times, through a bulk settlement. As of June 30, 2013, 15 percent of the whole-loan claims that the Corporation initially denied have subsequently been resolved through repurchase or make-whole payments and 44 percent have been resolved through rescission or repayment in full by the borrower. Although the timeline for resolution varies, once an actionable breach is identified on a given loan, settlement is generally reached as to that loan within 60 to 90 days. When a claim has been denied and the Corporation does not have communication with the counterparty for six months, the Corporation views these claims as inactive; however, they remain in the outstanding claims balance until resolution.
In private-label securitizations, certain presentation thresholds need to be met in order for investors to direct a trustee to assert repurchase claims. Continued high levels of new private-label claims are primarily related to repurchase requests received from trustees and third-party sponsors for private-label securitization transactions not included in the BNY Mellon Settlement, including claims related to first-lien third-party sponsored securitizations that include monoline insurance. Over time, there has been an increase in requests for loan files from certain private-label securitization trustees, as well as requests for tolling agreements to toll the applicable statutes of limitation relating to representations and warranties repurchase claims, and the Corporation believes it is likely that these requests will lead to an increase in repurchase claims from private-label securitization trustees with standing to bring such claims. In addition, private-label securitization trustees may have obtained loan files through other means, including litigation and administrative subpoenas. The representations and warranties, as governed by the private-label securitization agreements, generally require that counterparties have the ability to both assert a claim and actually prove that a loan has an actionable defect under the applicable contracts. While the Corporation believes the agreements for private-label securitizations generally contain less rigorous representations and warranties and place higher burdens on claimants seeking repurchases than the express provisions of comparable agreements with the GSEs, without regard to any variations that may have arisen as a result of dealings with the GSEs, the agreements generally include a representation that underwriting practices were prudent and customary. In the case of private-label securitization trustees and third-party sponsors, there is currently no established process in place for the parties to reach a conclusion on an individual loan if there is a disagreement on the resolution of the claim. For more information on repurchase demands, see Unresolved Repurchase Claims in this Note.
At June 30, 2013, for loans originated between 2004 and 2008, the notional amount of unresolved repurchase claims submitted by private-label securitization trustees and whole-loan investors was $13.9 billion. The Corporation has performed an initial review with respect to $13.4 billion of these claims and does not believe a valid basis for repurchase has been established by the claimant and is still in the process of reviewing the remaining $545 million of these claims.
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