Since mortgages are the most secured of any loan type (a lender can foreclose on a house if the loan defaults), collection agencies generally don’t get much mortgage collection work. But there is one large exception: deficiency balances. If a lender approves the sale of a house for less than what is owed by the borrower, the difference is a deficiency balance. In the ongoing morass of the housing market, short sales are commonplace. Lenders will typically forgive deficiency balances. If they do not, that amount enters the ARM process and can find its way to debt collectors.

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Bear Stearns Completes Acquisition of Subprime Mortgage Unit

12 February 2007

NCC Business Services to Offer Automated Debt Collection Services to Property Managers

6 February 2007

Subprime Mortgage Defaults Pass 2001 Peak

6 February 2007

2006 Massachusetts Foreclosure Filings Are Highest in Recorded History

6 February 2007

Banks Acting Earlier to Curb Foreclosures

30 January 2007

E-Loan to Pay Mortgage Workers $13.6 million in Overtime Wages

25 January 2007

Citigroup to Acquire ABN AMRO Mortgage Group

22 January 2007

Barclays to Buy Regions Subprime Unit for $225 million

19 January 2007

Private Equity Creates New Mortgage Servicing Firm

17 January 2007

Repurchases Stinging Subprime Mortgage Sector

8 January 2007

ABN AMRO Sells $1.3 billion in Bad Commercial Loans

3 January 2007

States Warn Mortgage Lenders on Nontraditional Loans

2 January 2007

Study Predicts More Foreclosures on Subprime Mortgages

22 December 2006

MERSCORP Renews Agreement With EDS; Goal to Digitize Mortgage Lending

20 December 2006

Mortgage Opportunities Knocking for ARM Companies

14 December 2006

Late Mortgage Payments Skyrocket in Q3

14 December 2006

Fannie Sues KPMG for $2 Billion Over Accounting Mistakes

14 December 2006

Goldman Sachs Buys $1.3 billion in Bad Loans from German Bank

14 December 2006

Subprime Mortgage Lender Closes Down

14 December 2006

Mortgage Applications Hit Highest Levels in Over a Year

14 December 2006