Modification Success—What Have We Learned?

Abstract

In this review of modification activity, the authors show that the key ingredients of modification success are principal reduction, substantial pay relief, and modifying early in the delinquency cycle. When all three of these ingredients are present, a modification has a good chance of success. They also demonstrate that success rates on modifications generated by the market’s methods are overstated: These methods do not take into account loans that have liquidated or re-defaulted on an earlier modification.