Auction.com Survey: Western Markets At Most Risk for Increased Foreclosure Inventory

July 10, 2019

Auction.com, Irvine, Calif., said although most respondents to a recent survey expect only “slight” changes in foreclosures and bank-owned inflow in the second half of 2019, nearly half cited the Western U.S. as the highest risk of increase in distressed inventory.

The company’s first annual Disposition Summit Client Survey of more than 60 bank and nonbank servicer clients along with representatives from government agencies involved in servicing and disposition of distressed properties found 80 percent of respondents expect only slight changes in foreclosure and REO inflow in the second half of 2019, with a 50-50 split between that change being an increase or decrease.

However, 40 percent of respondents identified the West region as most likely to see an increase in distressed inventory in the second half, beating out the Midwest (23 percent), Northeast (20 percent) and South (17 percent).

“Our clients continue to favor the innovative early disposition alternatives we have pioneered that tackle the property preservation challenge much more effectively than traditional disposition methods–not only by reducing risk for the servicer, but also by increasing positive impact on neighborhoods,” said Jason Allnutt, CEO of Auction.com.

Other survey findings:

–72 percent of respondents plan to increase loss mitigation actions in the second half, with 81 percent of those expecting an increase in distressed inflow planning to increase loss mitigation actions.

–40 percent identified Expedited Time to Sale as their top disposition priority, beating out Return on Investment, Loss Mitigation and Avoiding Headline Risk.

–46 percent selected Property Preservation as the biggest disposition challenge they face, beating out Aged Inventory, Pricing Execution and Regulatory Hurdles.

The survey was conducted live at the fourth annual Disposition Summit hosted by Auction.com April 1 and 2 in Dallas. Respondents answered in real time questions regarding their outlook for the distressed market and loss mitigation, along with biggest disposition priorities, challenges and general default servicing pain points.

Full results can be found at https://www.auction.com/lp/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Client-Summit-Survey-Results-Report-Final.pdf.