Ocwen To Sell Mortgage Servicing Rights On $45 Bln Of Performing Agency Loans

(RTTNews) - Ocwen Financial Corp. (OCN) said that it signed a letter of intent with a buyer on the sale of mortgage servicing rights or MSRs on a portfolio consisting of approximately 277,000 performing Agency loans owned by Fannie Mae with a total unpaid principal balance of approximately $45 billion.

Subject to a definitive agreement, approvals by Fannie Mae and FHFA and other customary conditions, Ocwen expects the transaction to close by mid-year and the loan servicing to transfer over the course of the second half of 2015.

The company also entered into an amendment to its $1.3 billion Senior Secured Term Loan (SSTL) to remove certain restrictions on asset sales and permanently increase a financial covenant. Ocwen has agreed to an accelerated repayment schedule for cash received from asset sales.

Including its previously announced $9.8 billion MSR sale to Nationstar, Ocwen said it is on track to sell Agency MSRs relating to approximately $55 billion of unpaid principal balance in the next six months for prices significantly above its estimated carrying value at December 31, 2014. Ocwen currently anticipates that these transactions will generate approximately $550 million of proceeds over the next six months and accelerate Ocwen's strategy to reduce the size of its Agency servicing portfolio.

Ocwen awarded a sale of non-performing and performing loan assets to an undisclosed buyer. The transaction is subject to typical closing conditions, including finalizing due diligence and a definitive agreement. Total proceeds are expected to be approximately $40 million, and the Company expects the transaction to close by the end of March. The book value of the assets is approximately $26 million.

The company anticipates that its fourth quarter results will be impacted by a $370 -- $420 million non-cash charge to write-off goodwill; the creation of a $15 million reserve relating to its remediation plan to address issues around certain erroneously dated borrower correspondence.

As previously disclosed, Ocwen expects to report a loss for the fourth quarter and 2014 fiscal year.

Ocwen said it will file a Form 12b-25 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an extension of time enabling the Company to file its 2014 Form 10-K on or before March 17, 2015, without penalty.