Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

13. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

The Company is subject to loss contingencies related to litigation, claims, investigations and legal and administrative cases and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company evaluates these contingencies based on information currently available, including advice of counsel. The Company establishes accruals for those matters when a loss contingency is considered probable and the related amount is reasonably estimable. Any accruals are periodically reviewed and may be adjusted as circumstances change. A portion of the Company’s exposure with respect to loss contingencies may be offset by applicable insurance coverage. In determining the amounts of any accruals or estimates of possible loss contingencies, the Company does not take into account the availability of insurance coverage, other than that provided by reinsurers in the insurance segment. When it is practicable, the Company estimates loss contingencies for possible litigation and claims, whether or not there is an accrued probable loss. When the Company is able to estimate such probable losses, and when it estimates that it is reasonably possible it could incur losses in excess of amounts accrued, the Company is required to make a disclosure of the aggregate estimation. As available information changes, however, the matters for which the Company is able to estimate, as well as the estimates themselves, will be adjusted accordingly.

Assessments of litigation and claims exposures are difficult due to many factors that involve inherent unpredictability. Those factors include the following: the varying stages of the proceedings, particularly in the early stages; unspecified, unsupported, or uncertain damages; damages other than compensatory, such as punitive damages; a matter presenting meaningful legal uncertainties, including novel issues of law; multiple defendants and jurisdictions; whether discovery has begun or is complete; whether meaningful settlement discussions have commenced; and whether the claim involves a class action and if so, how the class is defined. As a result of some of these factors, the Company may be unable to

estimate reasonably possible losses with respect to some or all of the pending and threatened litigation and claims asserted against the Company.

While the final outcome of litigation and claims exposures is inherently unpredictable, management is currently of the opinion that the outcome of pending and threatened litigation will not have a material effect on the Company’s business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as a whole. However, in the event of unexpected future developments, it is reasonably possible that an adverse outcome in any matter could be material to the Company’s business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows for any particular reporting period of occurrence.

Indemnification Liability Reserve

The mortgage origination segment may be responsible to agencies, investors, or other parties for errors or omissions relating to its representations and warranties that each loan sold meets certain requirements, including representations as to underwriting standards and the validity of certain borrower representations in connection with the loan. If determined to be at fault, the mortgage origination segment either repurchases the affected loan from or indemnifies the claimant against loss. The mortgage origination segment has established an indemnification liability reserve for such probable losses.

Generally, the mortgage origination segment first becomes aware that an agency, investor, or other party believes a loss has been incurred on a sold loan when it receives a written request from the claimant to repurchase the loan or reimburse the claimant’s losses. Upon completing its review of the claimant’s request, the mortgage origination segment establishes a specific claims reserve for the loan if it concludes its obligation to the claimant is both probable and reasonably estimable.

An additional reserve has been established for probable agency, investor or other party losses that may have been incurred, but not yet reported to the mortgage origination segment based upon a reasonable estimate of such losses. Factors considered in the calculation of this reserve include, but are not limited to, the total volume of loans sold exclusive of specific claimant requests, actual claim settlements and the severity of estimated losses resulting from future claims, and the mortgage origination segment’s history of successfully curing defects identified in claim requests. While the mortgage origination segment’s sales contracts typically include borrower early payment default repurchase provisions, these provisions have not been a primary driver of claims to date, and therefore, are not a primary factor considered in the calculation of this reserve.

At March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the mortgage origination segment’s indemnification liability reserve totaled $12.1 million and $11.8 million, respectively. The provision for indemnification losses was $0.7 million and $0.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The following tables provide for a rollforward of claims activity for loans put-back to the mortgage origination segment based upon an alleged breach of a representation or warranty with respect to a loan sold and related indemnification liability reserve activity (in thousands).

	Representation and Warranty Specific Claims
	Activity - Origination Loan Balance
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2020		2019
Balance, beginning of period	$	32,144	$	33,784
Claims made		6,071		3,182
Claims resolved with no payment		(984)		(5,687)
Repurchases		(2,330)		(1,167)
Indemnification payments		(122)		—
Balance, end of period	$	34,779	$	30,112
	Indemnification Liability Reserve Activity
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2020		2019
Balance, beginning of period	$	11,776	$	10,701
Additions for new sales		725		489
Repurchases		(271)		(82)
Early payment defaults		(39)		(142)
Indemnification payments		(43)		(3)
Change in reserves for loans sold in prior years		—		(242)
Balance, end of period	$	12,148	$	10,721
	March 31,		December 31,
	2020		2019
Reserve for Indemnification Liability:
Specific claims	$	1,186	$	1,071
Incurred but not reported claims		10,962		10,705
Total	$	12,148	$	11,776

Although management considers the total indemnification liability reserve to be appropriate, there may be changes in the reserve over time to address incurred losses due to unanticipated adverse changes in the economy and historical loss patterns, discrete events adversely affecting specific borrowers or industries, and/or actions taken by institutions or investors. The impact of such matters is considered in the reserving process when probable and estimable.