Shares of Mortgages in Forbearance Decline for Ninth Straight Week in Week Ending April 25, 2021

The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s (MBA) Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 2 basis points from 4.49% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 4.47% as of April 25, 2021. According to MBA’s estimate, 2.23 million homeowners are in forbearance plans. The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance decreased 2 points to 2.42%. Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance decreased 7 basis points to 6.02%, while the forbearance shares for portfolio loans and private-label securities (PLS) increased by 13 basis points to 8.55%. The percentage of loans in forbearance for independent mortgage bank (IMB) servicers decreased 2 basis points to 4.70%, and the percentage of loans in forbearance for depository servicers also declined 2 basis points to 4.62%. Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s Senior Vice President and Chief Economist in a prepared statement said, “The share of loans in forbearance decreased for the ninth straight week, dropping by 2 basis points. The rate of exits has slowed the past two weeks, with this week’s exit rate reaching the lowest since February. The increase in the forbearance share for portfolio and PLS loans highlights both the ongoing buyouts of delinquent loans from Ginnie Mae pools as well as an increased forbearance share for other loans that are not federally backed.” Fratantoni added, “Job market and housing market data remain strong. We expect that further gains in hiring will help to support many homeowners as they exit forbearance in the months ahead.”