MBA Survey: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Increases to 0.31% in August

From the MBA: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Increases to 0.31% in August

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) monthly Loan Monitoring Survey revealed that the total number of loans now in forbearance increased to 0.31% as of August 31, 2024. According to MBA’s estimate, 155,000 homeowners are in forbearance plans. Mortgage servicers have provided forbearance to approximately 8.2 million borrowers since March 2020.

The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance increased 1 basis point to 0.13% in August 2024. Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance increased by 10 basis points to 0.66%, and the forbearance share for portfolio loans and private-label securities (PLS) increased 2 basis points to 0.35%.

“For the third consecutive month, the percentage of loans in forbearance increased across all loan types,” said Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA’s Vice President of Industry Analysis. “By investor type, Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance have increased the most – up 27 basis points since May 2024.”

Added Walsh, “Forbearance levels are much lower than they were during the first two years of the pandemic. However, a weakening in the performance of servicing portfolios and an increase in forbearance requests are both likely given the softening observed in the labor market.”
emphasis added

At the end of August, there were about 155,000 homeowners in forbearance plans.