Black Knight: Number of Homeowners in COVID-19-Related Forbearance Plans Increased Slightly

Note: Both Black Knight and the MBA (Mortgage Bankers Association) are putting out weekly estimates of mortgages in forbearance.

This data is as of August 24th.

From Andy Walden at Black Knight: Familiar Midmonth Uptick in Forbearances

Continuing the same mid-month trend we also noted last week, the number of active forbearance plans edged slightly higher once again.

According to Black Knight’s McDash Flash forbearance tracker, there are now 1.76 million borrowers who remain in COVID-19 related forbearance plans as of August 24, including 1.9% of GSE, 5.8% of FHA/VA and 4.1% of portfolio held and privately securitized mortgages.

The overall number of active forbearances rose by 12,000 since last Tuesday, driven primarily by a 10,000 increase in plans among portfolio/PLS loans. FHA/VA volumes also rose – though a more modest 3,000 – with GSE plans seeing the week’s only decline (-1,000).

Click on graph for larger image.

This puts plan volumes down 132,000 from the same time last month for a 7% decline. More than 150,000 plans are slated for review for extension or removal through the final week of August, so there is still some opportunity for modest improvement yet this month.

That number ramps up to nearly 670,000 for September, though, with 415,000 of those plans set to reach their final expiration next month based on current allowable forbearance term lengths.
emphasis added