Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN), a provider of financial and operational consulting services, said today that it has released a report that is designed to help institutions determine the risks posed to them by the meltdown in subprime credit. “The subprime mortgage world is under tremendous pressure,â€? said Ken Evola, managing director, Huron Consulting Group. “The recent news surrounding improperly managed subprime mortgages, which has in some cases forced bankruptcy, requires that companies carefully evaluate risk right now to determine an appropriate course of action. This report is a tool for Board Members and CEOs to help determine risk and instability in their subprime mortgage portfolios.â€? â€?Our focus in the mortgage market is very specific. It is Huron’s belief that subprime lenders in particular, and many lenders in general, need to modify their lending strategy in this fast changing market to appropriately consider the risks of a borrower’s ability to repay the loan,â€? said Evola.
The consulting firm said it has developed a list of ten key items that company Board Members and CEOs should ask when evaluating the risk of a subprime mortgage portfolio: 1. Did you have a reliable market based appraised value of the underlying collateral? 2. Were all parties that were involved with the loan origination process during the astounding growth period truly independent? 3. Were appraisals supporting your retained and sold portfolio based on inflated market comps? 4. How effective were your anti-fraud controls? 5. In today’s environment how would you assess the quality of your origination channel? 6. How effective were your loan processors at detecting and preventing misrepresentations within the loan files? 7. What processes were in place to evaluate the integrity of your mortgage brokers? 8. Do you know your repurchase exposure? 9. Is your borrower documentation accurate for prudent underwriting? 10. Are your financial statements reliable as a result of the previous nine items? Copies of the full report, Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Investigate a Subprime Mortgage File, are available at http://www.huronconsultinggroup.com.
