Assuming the original loan is a legal way to take over a mortgage as long as you meet the bank’s requirements. A mortgage serving as security for an “assumable” loan lacks a “due on sale” clause. To find out if the mortgage can be assumed, request to see the seller’s mortgage documents. Most conventional loans are not assumable. Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs-backed loans, for example, are frequently fully assumable. Investigate the possibility of taking on the owner’s current mortgage if you meet the lender’s requirements.
Since 2003, Florida native Jeannine Mancini has been penning articles on business and personal finance. She has had articles appear in the Florida Today and Orlando Sentinel. University of Central Florida awarded her a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Why Do Banks Sell Notes?
As a regular part of their operations, banks sell notes to raise capital. Mortgage loans are frequently created by banks with the intention of selling them on the secondary market. The sole purpose of Fannie and the other mortgage-related government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) is to purchase these loans in order to support the housing market.
When a lender initiates and funds a loan, they can keep their profit and recoup their investment by selling the note on the secondary market. Then they can lend the money out again.
But banks also market “out of the box” or non-performing, sub-performing, and non-conforming loans for other factors.
Here are four reasons banks sell non-performing notes:
1. To avoid unknown liabilities.
A lender may occasionally have a non-performing note on an asset, such as a gas station or an old factory, but not want to foreclose because of the possibility of environmental contamination. Despite a site being in good condition, the bank may decide against foreclosing if it considers it to be risky.
A bank runs the risk of further legal action once they enter the “chain of title.” A smart (and litigious) person goes after “the money. ” Obviously, that’s the bank.
2. To avoid high legal costs and long foreclosure processes.
Different municipalities have different foreclosure laws. A bank may decide that selling the note is more advantageous if it has a pool of non-performing loans in a region where a protracted, drawn-out foreclosure process is likely.
3. In comparison to private investors, banks don’t always have the same flexibility and workout options.
Banks don’t always have flexibility on loan workouts. Because banks are heavily regulated, the “box” they must operate in to “rehab” or restructure a loan is less flexible than that of a private investor or fund.
4. Compared to foreclosing on and selling REO, selling non-performing loans is quicker and less expensive.
In less than a month, a bank can sell and close on a non-performing loan sale. They can replenish their funds and cut down on working hours, legal costs, compliance expenses, and months of labor.
Take into account the steps involved in foreclosure, starting with “booking it in” (repurchasing the note at auction), listing, and selling the property.
The list goes on.
Selling the notes appears to be the most cost-effective, quick solution once a bank totals all the expenses and time needed to deal with foreclosing on numerous non-performing loans.
What Kinds of Mortgage Notes do Banks Sell?
Banks sell various note types. A note, also called a promissory note, is a legally binding written promise that specifies how and when a loan must be repaid. Payment histories typically determine a note’s status. The primary statuses are:
Since notes with non-performing or sub-performing status cost the bank money, the majority of the notes that banks sell fall into these categories. However, performing notes are occasionally available, too.
What’s the Difference between a Performing and Non-Performing Note?
Lender repayment expectations and risk are different from the perspective of note investing. Lenders are not compelled to sell a loan if the borrower consistently makes payments in accordance with the terms.
However, a note becomes a lender liability when it enters a non-performing status and repayment expectations decrease. Banks will make preparations to sell the note or seize the real estate it is secured by in order to recoup the loan balance.
How Do I Know Which Banks are Selling Mortgage Notes?
Identify note sellers by starting with local and regional lenders. In the U.S., tens of thousands of banks and credit unions sell notes. S. however, long-term note buying success typically involves working with lenders in your area.
Research and efficient, effective communication are required to find banks with non-performing notes for sale.
Since there isn’t a single list of banks selling notes, you might need to consult several sources to find potential buyers. Top bank prospecting tools include:
Free Public Data Sources
Financial regulatory bodies compile reports on banks and credit unions that are very insightful into the portfolios of financial institutions. Using these free resources will give you access to spreadsheets and documents that track the volume of non-performing notes and other crucial note-related information that will allow you to choose which banks are worthwhile pursuing.
Expect this process to take a little while as you might need to do some digging to find all the information you require.
BankProspector Software
Using a tool like BankProspector during the lender search will help you save time and effort. The software keeps real-time information on:
You can determine where to buy notes at the best prices by evaluating these different factors.
Here are some clues to help you speed up your search:
The indicators that banks report can help investors understand what’s happening with their portfolios and how motivated they might be to sell. The key indicators that we look at are:
We also take into account other variables, such as the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans, charge-off activity, and more. With our free webinar training or the Academy, if you’re really serious, you can learn more about this in-depth.
You must get in touch with the decision-maker, or the person who handles transactions, in order to purchase a note from a bank. Titles of decision-makers vary from bank to bank, depending mainly on bank size and note asset type.
Certain non-performing note sales at smaller banks could involve decision-makers all the way up to the president. A neighborhood bank functions like a small business, with decision-makers, procedures, meetings, and lots of staff.
Note sales are frequently handled by secondary marketing desks or workout officers at larger banks, though senior management personnel occasionally close deals.
You can find decision-maker contact information through various sources, including:
By eliminating uncertainty, BankProspector helps you find the right person to get in touch with. Our subscribers can easily access [dp-stats method=”total-contacts”] bank contacts. When you need the correct phone number or email address, it will be there thanks to our full-time contact managers who continuously monitor and update employee names and contact information.
Before contacting decision-makers, create your contact list, write your script, and learn more about the lender.
How to Contact Bank Decision-Makers
Deals get done between people. Once you have determined who your bank contact is, you should make contact. There are three ways to communicate with banks selling notes.
You can have a direct, one-on-one conversation with a decision-maker over the phone. Unlike written methods of contact, you can quickly determine whether you’ve made contact.
When you start calling banks for non-performing notes:
By Email
An effective way to introduce yourself and keep communications organized is by sending emails to bank contacts. But it can be difficult to start a conversation and break through.
How you communicate your message when you first contact someone or send a cold email to a bank is crucial. Briefly describe who you are, what you do, and how it helps the bank. Remain professional yet friendly and stick to the point.
On LinkedIn
Some bank contacts can be found on business social media sites like LinkedIn. The passive approach won’t get you very far, though.
Being active on the platform and identifying yourself as a note investor in groups and on your profile is beneficial. However, you’ll need to get in touch with a bank note seller directly on LinkedIn to get their attention. This approach is comparable to emailing; be succinct and explain who you are and what you do.
What to Expect in a Transaction when Buying Notes from a Bank
A transaction can happen in many different ways, but the indicative bid process is the most common one. In this case, after receiving some information regarding the asset, you place an indicative bid.
Usually, an indicative bid is subject to a short due diligence period. Frequently, your indicative bid will be submitted as a Letter of Intent (LOI). A binder, also known as a good faith deposit or escrow, may be put down on occasion.
When buying notes from the bank, you can expect:
Generally speaking, you want to present yourself in the best possible light when beginning a note purchase with a bank. Not that you can’t negotiate; however, re-trades (re-negotiating) are typically discouraged. You can anticipate significant pushback and the possibility that you won’t do business with that lender again if you have completed your initial diligence and are nearing the end when you look for a re-trade.
Transaction timeframes are typically sensitive when youre dealing with banks. This is partially due to their quarterly reporting cadence. Be ready to move quickly and communicate frequently while making the purchase.
You might discover that the bidding process is less demanding and that it is simpler to speak with the decision-maker when purchasing notes from local banks. You can anticipate a more secretive and exclusive notification process when you purchase a note from a large bank.
How to Get Started with Buying Bank Direct Mortgage Notes
The best way to begin buying banknotes directly is to concentrate on finding the bargains.
People who want to start note buying but are worried that they can only invest a small amount frequently contact us. We hear “can I buy just one note?” quite frequently. The best way to invest in this sector, however, isn’t by purchasing one note.
Think about it this way. Find banks that are selling notes to start your search for the product. Do not concern yourself with how you will “take down these deals.” Finding them is the most crucial and valuable part of the job because there is so much money involved in pursuing these kinds of deals.
3 Steps to Start Buying Bank Direct Mortgage Notes
Our free training webinar covers these steps and their components in-depth, and our BankProspector software offers prospect information, such as a list of banks and credit unions as well as the contacts for decision-makers.
You should contact a few banks today because they may have notes they want to sell. Most of them won’t have anything on their desk today, but they might have something in a week, month, quarter, or even a year from now. You can see why it makes sense to have a system of communication that keeps you in touch, unless you’re a very short-term buyer.
What Kinds of Non-Performing Notes Will Banks Sell?
Banks sell all kinds of non-performing notes. I’ve noticed that note investors who are most successful tend to concentrate on specific asset classes.
A list of asset categories for all banks in BankProspector: A list of asset categories for all banks in BankProspector
Working through a non-performing note with a single-family homeowner who has lost his job and is behind on his payments is very different from doing so with a business owner who is having trouble making payments on a note secured by the commercial property where his company is located.
Will Banks Sell Individual Non-Performing Notes?
It depends. Consider the bank’s interests when purchasing non-performing notes from them.
For instance, why would a large bank sell a single residential note when your purchase won’t have any impact on them and will require them to take additional steps outside of their normal course of business? There’s no benefit to the bank whatsoever.
The equation changes if you’re speaking with a small neighborhood or community bank. If they can get it off their books, a small group of residential notes, a note on commercial property, or even just one residential note, might actually matter to them.
But maybe you need to change your thinking.
Investor demand for non-performing notes is currently practically limitless. You dont need to go after just one note.
Please let us know if you are unable to move the objects you don’t want to keep. In line with many other businesses in this sector, we have a billion-dollar appetite for these assets.
In the end, calling banks isn’t the best course of action if you only want to purchase one note. Use one of these other sources.
4 Steps for Successfully Buying Mortgage Notes from Banks
Our DistressedPro experts have a lot of experience buying bank notes because, consistently, it turns out to be the best way to find and invest in notes.
For all note investors, BankProspector streamlines the procedure and makes it simple to maximize their time (and, hopefully, profits). Discover more about our strategies by attending one of our free webinars, or get started with your note investing projects by looking for off-market note deals on BankProspector right away.
FAQ
How do you buy someone’s mortgage?
- Buy out the other person’s equity. …
- Refinance the mortgage, then buy out the home. …
- Sell and split the proceeds. …
- Get a property valuation. …
- Identify what you owe on the mortgage. …
- Calculate how much to buy out the house.
Is it possible to transfer a mortgage to another person?
A mortgage transfer is when you give someone else your current mortgage loan, complete with the applicable interest rate and terms. As a result, the other party can take over ownership of the house and the lender’s lien on it without getting a new mortgage.
What is it called when you take over someone’s mortgage?
What Is An Assumable Mortgage? An assumable mortgage enables the buyer to assume the seller’s mortgage. Once the assumption is finished, you take over the monthly payments and the original borrower is released from further responsibility.
How do you take over a mortgage from a family member?
If the terms of your mortgage state that it is “assumable,” you can transfer a mortgage to another person. If you have an assumable mortgage, the new borrower can pay a set fee to assume responsibility for the outstanding debt and start making payments. However, they will typically still need to meet the lender’s loan requirements.