Private Lenders Forgive Home Debt as U.S. Lenders Balk

Non-government holders of delinquent mortgages are offering more payment plans with debt forgiveness as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac resist, according to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Principal reductions were granted in 8.5 percent of the 116,153 delinquent mortgages that received permanent modifications in the fourth quarter, according to a report by the unit of the Treasury Department. That’s up from 8.1 percent in the prior three-month period. Debt forgiveness was included in 16 percent of loans held by private investors, 25 percent of loans held in bank portfolios and in none owned by the government-run companies.