EmailBank of America (BAC $11.11 +0.35) announced that it has reached an agreement to resolve nearly all of the legacy Countrywide-issued first-lien residential mortgage-backed securitization (RMBS) repurchase exposure, representing 530 trusts with original principal balance of $424 billion. With this agreement and other mortgage-related actions in the second quarter of 2011, the company believes it will have recorded reserves in its financial statements for a substantial portion of its representations and warranties exposure as measured by original unpaid principal balance.
The company also is estimating a range of possible loss for the remainder. As a result of the settlement, and other mortgage-related matters, Bank of America expects to report a net loss in the range of $8.6 billion to $9.1 billion in the second quarter of 2011, or $0.88 to $0.93 per diluted share. Excluding the settlement, other mortgage-related charges, and proceeds from asset sales, the company expects to report net income in the range of $3.2 billion to $3.7 billion in the second quarter of 2011, or $0.28 to $0.33 per fully diluted share (Capital IQ consensus $0.28). The key driver of the expected loss is the representations and warranties provision of $14.0 billion, including $8.5 billion for the settlement agreement on legacy Countrywide mortgage repurchase and servicing claims, and an additional $5.5 billion increase in the company's representations and warranties liability for non-GSE exposures and, to a lesser extent, GSE exposures.
The company also expects to record $6.4 billion in other mortgage-related charges in the second quarter of 2011, including a non-cash, non-tax deductible impairment charge of $2.6 billion to write off the balance of goodwill in the Consumer Real Estate Services business, as well as charges related to additional litigation costs, a write-down in the value of mortgage servicing rights, and additional assessment and waiver costs for compensatory fees associated with foreclosure delays. The impairment charge will have no impact on reported Tier 1 and tangible equity capital ratios.
The settlement covers 525 legacy Countrywide first-lien RMBS trusts and five legacy Countrywide second-lien RMBS trusts with mortgage loans principally originated between 2004 and 2008 for which BNY Mellon acts as trustee or indenture trustee. The settlement resolves representations and warranties claims, as well as substantially all historical servicing-related claims, including claims related to foreclosure delays and alleged mortgage documentation issues.
