OCWEN FINANCIAL CORP

When we use the terms “Ocwen,” “OCN,” “we,” “us” and “our,” we are referring to Ocwen Financial Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

OVERVIEW

We are a financial services company that services and originates both forward and reverse mortgage loans, through our primary brands, PHH Mortgage and Liberty Reverse Mortgage. We have a strong track record of success as a leader in the servicing industry in foreclosure prevention and loss mitigation that helps homeowners stay in their homes and improves financial outcomes for mortgage loan investors. This long-standing core competency continues to be a guiding principle as we seek to grow our business and improve our financial performance. We are a leader in the reverse mortgage business with a strong brand and our reverse mortgage servicing platform.

We are headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida with offices and operations in the U.S., in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), in India and the Philippines. At December 31, 2023, approximately 76% of our workforce is located outside the U.S. Ocwen Financial Corporation is a Florida corporation organized in February 1988. With our predecessors, we have been servicing residential mortgage loans since 1988. We have been originating forward mortgage loans since 2012 and reverse mortgage loans since 2013. We currently provide solutions through our primary operating, wholly-owned subsidiary, PHH Mortgage Corporation (PHH), formerly referred to as PMC.

BUSINESS MODEL AND SEGMENTS

Ocwen’s balanced and diversified business is designed to create value and maximize returns for our shareholders. We seek to create value for shareholders through capital-light growth, industry-leading cost structure, service excellence and high-quality operational execution. Our core competencies revolve around our Servicing business with an Originations platform to replenish and pursue growth of our servicing portfolio.

Our Servicing business is comprised of two components, our owned MSR servicing portfolio and our subservicing portfolio that complement each other when managing scale. We invest our capital to fund purchases and originations of our owned MSRs, for which we establish a targeted return on investment. Our net return includes servicing revenue net of servicing costs, less MSR portfolio runoff, and less MSR and advance funding cost. Our net return is impacted by fair value changes of our owned MSRs, net of hedging, that vary based on market conditions. Our subservicing portfolio generates a relatively stable source of revenue to enhance our returns. While subservicing fees are relatively lower, we do not incur any significant capital utilization or funding of advances and are not exposed to fair value volatility. In 2021, we expanded our servicing and subservicing portfolio with the launch of MAV, our MSR joint venture with Oaktree. In 2022 and 2023, we further executed on our capital-light growth strategy with new MSR capital partner relationships to effectively convert MSR servicing portfolios into subservicing portfolios. We target a balanced mix of our portfolio between servicing and subservicing based on capital allocation and returns. Our servicing operations and customer interactions do not differentiate whether loans are serviced or subserviced. In 2021, we also expanded our capability in reverse subservicing by acquiring the Mortgage Assets Management, LLC (formerly known as Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc.) (MAM (RMS)) servicing platform.

Our Originations business’ strategy is to provide self-sustained replenishment opportunities to our servicing portfolio and profitable growth. Our Originations success is built on our relationships with borrowers, lenders and other market participants. We purchase MSRs through bulk portfolio purchases, through flow purchase agreements with our network of mortgage companies and financial institutions, and through participation in the Agency Cash Window (or Co-Issue) programs. In order to diversify our sources of servicing and reduce our reliance on others, we have been developing our origination of MSRs through different channels, including our portfolio recapture channel, retail, wholesale and correspondent lending. In 2021, we expanded our correspondent lending channel by acquiring Texas Capital Bank’s (TCB) network of approximately 220 correspondent lenders.

The chart below summarizes our current business model:

We report our activities in three segments, Servicing, Originations and Corporate Items and Other, which reflect other business activities that are currently individually insignificant. Our business segments reflect the internal reporting that we use to evaluate operating performance of services and to assess the allocation of our resources. The financial information of our segments is presented in our financial statements in Note 23 — Business Segment Reporting and discussed in the individual business operations sections of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Servicing

Our Servicing business is primarily comprised of our residential forward mortgage servicing business that currently accounts for the majority of our total revenues, our reverse mortgage servicing business, and our small commercial mortgage servicing business. Our servicing clients include some of the largest financial institutions in the U.S., including the GSEs, Ginnie Mae and non-Agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts, and other large MSR investors, including Rithm, MAV and MAM (RMS).

As of December 31, 2023, our servicing and subservicing portfolio consisted of approximately 1.3 million loans with a UPB of $288.4 billion.

Servicing involves the collection of principal and interest payments from borrowers, the administration of tax and insurance escrow accounts, the collection of insurance claims, the management of loans that are delinquent or in foreclosure or bankruptcy, including making servicing advances, evaluating loans for modification and other loss mitigation activities and, if necessary, foreclosure referrals and the sale of the underlying mortgaged property following foreclosure (REO) on behalf of mortgage loan investors or other servicers. Master servicing involves the collection of payments from servicers and the distribution of funds to investors in mortgage and asset-backed securities and whole loan packages. Reverse servicing includes additional functions such as the funding of borrowers under their approved borrowing capacity, the repurchase of loans and assignment to HUD upon reaching a limit (based on the maximum claim amount) and the securitization of tails under the Ginnie Mae program. We earn contractual monthly servicing fees (which are typically payable as a percentage of UPB) pursuant to servicing agreements as well as other ancillary fees relating to our servicing activities such as late fees.

We own MSRs outright, where we typically receive all the servicing economics, and we subservice on behalf of other institutions that own the MSRs, in which case we typically earn a smaller fee for performing the subservicing activities. Special servicing is a form of subservicing where we generally manage only delinquent loans on behalf of a loan owner. We typically earn subservicing and special servicing fees either as a percentage of UPB or on a per loan basis based on delinquency status. Our reverse owned servicing activities are reflected in our financial statements with the portfolio of securitized reverse loans held for investment and the related HMBS borrowings.

Servicing advances are an important component of our business and are amounts that we, as MSR owner, are required to advance to, or on behalf of, investors if we do not receive such amounts from borrowers. These amounts include principal and interest payments, property taxes and insurance premiums and amounts to maintain, repair and market real estate properties on behalf of our servicing clients. Most of our advances have the highest reimbursement priority such that we are entitled to repayment of the advances from the loan or property liquidation proceeds before most other claims on these proceeds. Advances are contractually non-interest bearing. The costs incurred by servicers in meeting advancing obligations consist principally of the interest expense incurred in financing the advance receivables and the costs of arranging such financing. Under subservicing agreements, Ocwen is promptly reimbursed by the owners of the MSRs who generally finance the advances and incur the associated financing cost.

Reducing delinquencies is important to our business because it enables us to recover advances and recognize additional ancillary income, such as late fees, which we do not recognize on delinquent loans until they are brought current. Performing loans also require less work and thus are generally less costly to service. While increasing borrower participation in loan modification programs is a critical component of our ability to reduce delinquencies, borrower compliance with those modifications is also an important factor.

Our servicing and subservicing portfolios naturally decrease over time as homeowners make regularly scheduled mortgage payments, prepay loans prior to maturity, refinance with a mortgage loan not serviced by us or involuntarily liquidate through foreclosure or other liquidation process. In addition, existing clients may determine to terminate their servicing and subservicing arrangements with us and transfer the servicing to others. Therefore, our ability to maintain or grow our servicing revenue or the size of our servicing and subservicing portfolios depends on our ability to acquire the right to service or subservice additional mortgage loans at a rate that exceeds portfolio runoff and any client terminations. Our Originations segment is focused on profitably replenishing and growing our servicing and subservicing portfolios.

Originations

The primary source of revenue of our Originations segment is gain on loan sales. We originate and purchase residential mortgage loans that we promptly sell or securitize on a servicing retained basis, thereby generating mortgage servicing rights. Our mortgage loans are conventional (conforming to the underwriting standards of the GSEs) and government-insured loans (insured by the FHA or VA) (collectively Agency loans). We generally package and sell the loans in the secondary mortgage market, through GSE and Ginnie Mae guaranteed securitizations and whole loan transactions. We originate forward mortgage loans directly with customers (consumer direct channel) as well as through correspondent lending arrangements. We originate reverse mortgage loans in all three channels, through our correspondent lending arrangements, broker relationships (wholesale) and retail channels. Per-loan gain on sale margins vary by channel, with correspondent typically being the lowest margin and retail the highest, commensurate with fulfillment costs. Similarly, margins are generally higher for reverse mortgages than forward mortgages.

In addition to our originated MSRs, we acquire MSRs through multiple channels, including flow purchase agreements, the Agency Cash Window co-issue programs and bulk MSR purchases. Our Originations business also includes the sourcing and acquisition of new subservicing clients.

In 2023, our Originations business generated total volume additions of $50.4 billion in UPB (refer to Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Overview for further details).

Retail Lending. We originate forward and reverse mortgage loans directly with borrowers through our retail lending business. Our forward lending business benefits from our servicing portfolio by offering rate and term refinance options to qualified borrowers seeking to lower their mortgage payments and cash-out refinance options. Depending on borrower eligibility, we refinance eligible customers into conforming or government-insured products. We are focused on increasing recapture rates on our existing servicing portfolio to grow this business. We also originate retail reverse loans to non-Ocwen servicing customers.

Correspondent Lending. Our correspondent lending operation purchases forward and reverse mortgage loans that have been originated by a network of approved third-party lenders, under our lending and risk management programs. We employ an ongoing monitoring and renewal process for participating lenders that includes an evaluation of the performance of the loans they have sold to us. We perform pre- and post-funding review procedures to ensure that the loans we purchase conform to our requirements and to the requirements of the investors to whom we sell loans. We are focused on expanding our network of correspondent lenders and increased participation of our existing relationships,

Wholesale Lending. We originate reverse mortgage loans through a network of approved brokers. Brokers are subject to a formal approval and monitoring process. We underwrite all loans originated through this channel consistent with the underwriting standards required by the ultimate investor prior to funding.

MSR Purchases. We purchase MSRs through flow purchase agreements, the Agency Cash Window co-issue programs and bulk MSR purchases. The Agency Cash Window programs we participate in, and purchase MSRs from, allow mortgage companies and financial institutions to sell whole loans to the respective Agency and sell the MSR to the winning bidder servicing released. In addition, we partner with other originators to replenish our MSR through flow purchase agreements.

New Servicing and Subservicing Acquisitions. Our enterprise sales department strives to expand our network of servicing and subservicing clients and source new flow and co-issue or subservicing agreements. We compete as a low cost provider with our demonstrated expertise to service mortgage assets across borrowers of every credit level and with our recapture ability.

REGULATION

Our business is subject to extensive regulation and supervision by federal, state, local and foreign governmental authorities, including the CFPB, HUD, the SEC and various state agencies that license our servicing and lending activities. Accordingly, we are regularly subject to examinations, inquiries and requests, including civil investigative demands and subpoenas. The GSEs, Ginnie Mae, the United States Treasury Department, various investors, non-Agency securitization trustees and others also subject us to periodic reviews and audits. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks for further information.

We have faced and expect to continue to face heightened regulatory scrutiny as well as stricter and more comprehensive regulation of the entire mortgage sector. We continue to work diligently to assess and understand the implications of the regulatory environment in which we operate and to meet the requirements of this constantly changing environment. In the normal course of business, we devote substantial resources to regulatory compliance, while, at the same time, striving to meet the needs and expectations of our customers, clients and other stakeholders. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks for further information.

We must comply with a large number of federal, state and local consumer protection and other laws and regulations, including, among others, the CARES Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Homeowners Protection Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, as well as individual state and local laws, and federal and local bankruptcy rules. These laws and regulations apply to all facets of our business, including, but not limited to, licensing, loan originations, consumer disclosures, default servicing and collections, foreclosure, filing of claims, registration of vacant or foreclosed properties, handling of escrow accounts, payment application, interest rate adjustments, assessment of fees, loss mitigation, use of credit reports, handling of unclaimed property, safeguarding of non-public personally identifiable information about our customers, and the ability of our employees to work remotely. These complex requirements can and do change as laws and regulations are enacted, promulgated, amended, interpreted and enforced. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks for further information.

In addition, a number of foreign laws and regulations apply to our operations outside of the U.S., including laws and regulations that govern licensing, privacy, employment, safety, payroll and other taxes and insurance and laws and regulations that govern the creation, continuation and the winding up of companies as well as the relationships between shareholders, our corporate entities, the public and the government in these countries. Our foreign subsidiaries are subject to inquiries and examinations from foreign governmental regulators in the countries in which we operate outside of the U.S. Finally, our licensed entities are required to renew their licenses, typically on an annual basis, and to do so they must satisfy the license renewal requirements of each jurisdiction, which generally include financial requirements such as providing audited financial statements or satisfying minimum net worth requirements and non-financial requirements such as satisfactory completion of examinations relating to the licensee’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The minimum net worth requirements to which our licensed entities are subject are unique to each state and type of license. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks for further information.

The general trend among federal, state and local legislative bodies and regulatory agencies as well as state attorneys general has been toward increasing laws, regulations, investigative proceedings and enforcement actions with regard to residential mortgage lenders and servicers, which could increase the possibility of adverse regulatory action against us. The CFPB continues to take a very active role in the mortgage industry, and its rule-making and regulatory agenda relating to loan servicing and origination continues to evolve. Individual states have also been active, as have other regulatory organizations such as the Multistate Mortgage Committee (MMC), a multistate coalition of various mortgage banking regulators. In addition to their traditional focus on licensing and examination matters, certain regulators make observations, recommendations or demands with respect to areas such as corporate governance, safety and soundness and risk and compliance management.

The CFPB and state regulators have also focused on the use and adequacy of technology in the mortgage servicing industry, privacy concerns and other topical issues, such as communications from debt collectors, the ability of borrowers to repay mortgage loans, or servicer responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law, allowing borrowers affected by COVID-19 to request temporary loan forbearance for federally backed mortgage loans. In addition, multiple forbearance programs, moratoria of foreclosure and eviction and other requirements to assist borrowers enduring financial hardship due to COVID-19 were implemented by states, agencies and regulators. Further, the CFPB promulgated certain amendments to RESPA (Regulation X) that became effective on August 31, 2021 and that impose certain additional COVID-19-related requirements with respect to loss mitigation, early intervention call requirements, and initiating new foreclosures.

COMPETITION

The financial services markets in which we operate are highly competitive and fragmented, and we expect them to remain so. We compete with large and small financial services companies, including bank and non-bank entities, in the servicing, lending and MSR transaction markets. Our competitors include large and regional banks, large non-bank servicers and mortgage originators, and real estate investment trusts. In both our servicing and originations businesses, new competitors continue to emerge, including companies that developed new technology around customer interactions and process automation.

In our Servicing business, we compete based on price, operating performance, service quality and customer and client satisfaction. Potential counterparties also (1) assess our regulatory compliance track record and examine our systems and processes for maintaining and demonstrating regulatory compliance, (2) consider our customer satisfaction rankings, and (3) consider our third-party servicer ratings. Certain of our competitors, especially large banks, may have substantially lower costs of capital and greater financial resources, which can create competitive challenges in certain situations. We believe that our competitive strengths flow from our ability to control and drive down delinquencies using proprietary processes, our superior operating performance, our lower cost to service, our deep know-how as a long-time operator of servicing loans and our long-standing and well established offshore operations. PHH received Fannie Mae’s Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards (STARTM) performer recognition for the 2023 program year for the third consecutive year. In addition, PHH was recognized for servicing excellence through Freddie Mac’s Servicer Honors and Rewards Program (SHARPSM) award in the top tier servicing group for the 2022 program year for the third consecutive year, and as subservicer for the 2023 program year. PHH also achieved HUD’s Tier 1 servicer ranking for the 2023 program year, for the third consecutive year.

In our Originations business, we face intense competition in most areas, including rates, margin, fees, customer service and name recognition. Some of our competitors, including the larger banks, have substantially lower costs of capital and strong retail presence, which can create competitive challenges in certain situations. We will continue to face increased competitive pressures in the future as the refinance opportunities remain limited with elevated interest rates. We believe our competitive strengths flow from our existing client relationships and from our focus on providing strong customer service, our brand recognition for our Liberty Reverse Mortgage business, our long-standing and well established offshore operations and use of technology.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICER RATINGS

Like other servicers, we are the subject of mortgage servicer ratings or rankings (collectively, ratings) issued and revised from time to time by rating agencies including Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s), S&P Global Ratings, Inc. (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch). Favorable ratings from these agencies are important to the conduct of our loan servicing and lending businesses.

The following table summarizes our latest key servicer ratings:

In addition to servicer ratings, each of the agencies will from time to time assign an outlook (or a ratings watch such as Moody’s review status) to the rating status of a mortgage servicer. A negative outlook is generally used to indicate that a rating “may be lowered,” while a positive outlook is generally used to indicate a rating “may be raised.”

On August 10,2023, Moody’s upgraded the ratings for residential prime, subprime, special servicer and second lien servicer quality (SQ) assessments from SQ3 to SQ3+, and affirmed the master servicer assessment at SQ3+. Moody’s ratings reflects i) significant investment in technology, ii) improvement in loan boarding, iii) improvement in document management and iv) improvement in bank account reconciliation process.

On March 22, 2023, S&P raised the ratings for residential mortgage primary, special, subprime and subordinate-lien servicer from Average to Above Average and affirmed the overall Above Average ranking as a residential mortgage loan master servicer and the ratings outlook as Stable. S&P’s rankings reflects i) senior and middle management teams, which have sound industry experience and tenure levels and low turnover, ii) multiple levels of internal controls to monitor the operations, iii) internal or external audit findings - no material findings noted, based on the reports provided, iv) effective and industry-recognized technology systems and good level of automation in reporting, accounting, and cash administration, v) proactive servicer oversight program and comprehensive practices to monitor default activity to mitigate losses, and vi) continued portfolio runoff, reflecting the securitization market's limited new business opportunities and high competition levels with several master servicers competing for those transactions.

On February 13, 2024, Fitch affirmed PHH’s residential servicer ratings and downgraded its outlook from Positive to Stable for Prime and Subprime products. The rating outlook remains Stable for the other products. The rating actions reflect PHH’s comprehensive enterprise-wide internal control environment, extensive industry experience and highly-developed global loan servicing platform, competitive loan servicing performance metrics, and effective technology platform. The ratings also consider the financial condition of PHH’s parent, Ocwen Financial Corporation. The affirmed ratings and Stable outlook on PHH’s residential servicer ratings are reflective of the company’s continued business growth, diversified sourcing strategies and overall loan servicing performance.

On February 15, 2024, Fitch affirmed PHH's Master Servicer rating and Stable outlook, reflecting the company's effective enterprise-wide risk environment and compliance management framework, satisfactory loan servicing performance metrics, special servicing expertise, and efficient servicing technology. The ratings also consider the financial condition of PHH's parent, Ocwen Financial Corporation.

RITHM CAPITAL CORP. RELATIONSHIP

We service loans on behalf of Rithm under various agreements, including traditional subservicing agreements, where Rithm is the legal owner of the MSRs, and in connection with legacy MSR transfers, referred to as Rights to MSRs, where Ocwen retains legal title to the underlying MSRs but Rithm has generally assumed risks and rewards consistent with an MSR owner. See Note 8 — Other Financing Liabilities, at Fair Value.

Rithm is one of our largest servicing clients, accounting for $45.0 billion of UPB or 16% of the UPB of our total servicing and subservicing portfolio as of December 31, 2023, approximately 67% of all delinquent loans that Ocwen serviced, and approximately 12% of our total servicing and subservicing fees in 2023, net of servicing fees remitted to Rithm (excluding ancillary income). In addition to a base servicing fee, we also receive some ancillary income and certain incentive fees or pay penalties tied to various contractual performance metrics. Rithm receives all float earnings and deferred servicing fees related to delinquent borrower payments, as well as certain REO-related income, including REO referral commissions. As legal MSR owner, or in compliance with the Rights to MSRs agreements, Rithm is responsible for financing all servicing advance obligations in connection with the loans underlying the MSRs.

On May 2, 2022, Ocwen entered into amendments to its servicing agreements with Rithm to extend their terms to December 31, 2023 and provide for subsequent, automatic one-year renewals, unless Ocwen provides six months’ advance notice of termination (by July 1), or Rithm provides three months’ advance notice of termination (by October 1), among other changes. Ocwen and Rithm did not provide notice of termination in 2023. Accordingly, all servicing agreements with Rithm are extended through December 31, 2024, with subsequent, automatic one-year renewals.

The underlying loans are almost exclusively non-Agency loans, involving a higher level of operational and regulatory risk, and requiring substantial direct and oversight staffing relative to Agency loans. Because of the relative size of the servicing agreements with Rithm, if Rithm exercises its right to terminate all or some of the agreements (for convenience by October 2024 or for cause at any time), we may need to right-size certain aspects of our servicing business as well as the related corporate support functions, and we may need to adjust our daily liquidity management due to the reduction of servicing float balances associated with the Rithm servicing agreements.

OAKTREE AND MAV RELATIONSHIP

We established a strategic alliance with Oaktree in 2020 to support refinancing our corporate debt and help advance our growth initiatives. The Oaktree relationship included the launch of an MSR investment vehicle (referred to as MAV or MAV Canopy) to scale up our servicing business in a capital efficient manner and investments in our debt and equity.

On December 21, 2020, we entered into a Transaction Agreement with Oaktree to form a joint venture for the purpose of investing in GSE MSRs exclusively subserviced by PHH. Effective with the closing of the transaction on May 3, 2021, Oaktree and Ocwen hold 85% and 15% interests in MAV Canopy, respectively, and initially agreed to invest equity up to $250.0 million over three years. On November 2, 2022, Ocwen and Oaktree entered into an agreement modifying certain terms relating to the capitalization, management and operations of MAV Canopy. Under the terms of the agreement, Ocwen and Oaktree agreed to increase the aggregate capital contributions to MAV Canopy by up to $250.0 million through May 2, 2024 (in addition to the then contributed capital), subject to extension. On November 1, 2023, Ocwen and Oaktree agreed toextend the commitment period through May 2, 2025, subject to an additional one-year extension by mutual agreement. Ocwen may elect to contribute its 15%pro rata share of the additional capital commitment. To the extent Ocwen does not contribute itspro rata share of the additional capital commitment, the ownership percentages held by Ocwen and Oaktree will be adjusted based on the parties’ current percentage interests, capital contributions and book value. As of December 31, 2023, our investment in MAV Canopy amounted to $37.8 million.

Pursuant to an agreement with Oaktree executed on February 2021, we issued to Oaktree in a private placement $285.0 million of Ocwen senior secured notes in two separate tranches. The initial tranche of $199.5 million senior secured notes was completed on March 4, 2021 and the additional $85.5 million tranche was completed following the launch of the MSR joint venture on May 3, 2021. In addition:

•On March 4, 2021, we issued 1,184,768 warrants to Oaktree to purchase shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $26.82 per share, subject to anti-dilution adjustments.

•On May 3, 2021, we issued 261,248 warrants to Oaktree to purchase additional common stock at an exercise price of $24.31 per share, subject to anti-dilution adjustments.

•On May 3, 2021, we issued to Oaktree 426,705 shares at a purchase price of $23.15 per share.

The net proceeds before expenses from the issuance to Oaktree of the initial tranche of senior secured notes and the warrants was $175.0 million (after $24.5 million of original issue discount) and was used, together with the proceeds from the additional debt financing, to repay in full an aggregate of $498 million of existing indebtedness, including Ocwen’s $185 million Senior Secured Term Loan, $21.5 million 6.375% senior unsecured notes due 2021 and $291.5 million 8.375% senior secured second lien notes due 2022. The net proceeds before expenses from the issuance to Oaktree of the additional tranche of senior secured notes and the warrants was approximately $75.0 million (after $10.5 million of original issue discount) and was used to fund our investment in the MSR joint venture and for general corporate purposes, including to accelerate the growth of our Originations and Servicing businesses.

In 2021 as part of the launch of the MSR joint venture, PHH entered into a number of definitive agreements with MAV, the licensed mortgage subsidiary of MAV Canopy which govern the terms of their business relationship, including a Subservicing Agreement, Joint Marketing Agreement and Recapture Agreement, and Administrative Services Agreement. This joint venture is structured to provide Oaktree with MSR investment opportunities and returns, while providing PHH scale and incremental income through exclusive subservicing and recapture services. Additionally, PHH earns direct MSR investment income through its 15% ownership stake and would be entitled to carry interest on investment returns if exceeding certain thresholds upon liquidation (referred to as Promote Distribution). Under the arrangement, MAV has a non-compete to purchase certain GSE MSRs through specific channels in cooperation with PHH. In addition, PHH must offer MAV the first opportunity to purchase GSE MSRs sold by PHH or its affiliates that meet certain criteria, which we refer to as the right of first offer. Both the non-compete and the right of first offer are subject to various restrictions and in effect until MAV has been fully funded, or, if earlier, in the case of the right of first offer, until May 3, 2025 (subject to one annual extension by mutual consent). Also, MAV must provide Ocwen with reciprocal first offer rights prior to selling certain GSE MSRs originated by PHH after October 1, 2022 that are acquired by MAV under its own first offer rights. As a result of the extension of the commitment period through May 2, 2025 as disclosed above, MAV’s right of first offer to purchase certain GSE MSRs sold by PHH and Ocwen’s reciprocal right of first offer to purchase certain GSE MSRs sold by MAV which were acquired under MAV’s own first offer rights will remain in effect until May 2, 2025 or, if earlier, the date that MAV has been fully funded.

PHH has exclusive rights to subservice the MSR owned by MAV and is compensated with subservicing fees in accordance with the Subservicing Agreement. The Subservicing Agreement will continue until terminated by mutual agreement of the parties or for cause, as defined.

See Note 12 — Investment in Equity Method Investee and Related Party Transactions, Note 14 — Borrowings, and Note 16 — Stockholders’ Equity to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES

We believe the success of our organization is highly dependent on the quality and engagement of our human capital resources. Our workforce is dedicated to creating positive outcomes for homeowners, communities and investors through caring service and innovative solutions. We strive to develop a working environment and culture that fosters our company values:

•Integrity: Do What’s Right – Always

•Service Excellence: Consistently Delivering on Our Commitments

•People: Develop, Grow and Value All Employees

•Teamwork: Succeed Together as a Global Team

•Embracing Change: Value Innovation and New Thinking

We had a total of approximately 4,500 employees at December 31, 2023. Approximately 1,100 of our employees were employed in the U.S. and USVI, and approximately 3,400 of our employees were employed in our operations in India and the Philippines.

Our Board of Directors and executive leadership team places significant focus on our human capital resources through fostering and measuring employee engagement, committing to comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and engaging with both internal and external groups and organizations to ensure that our culture enables employees to consistently demonstrate our company values. Important attributes of our human capital strategy include:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I). We are committed to be a globally diverse and inclusive workplace where every voice is heard and valued. Diversity, inclusiveness and respect are integral parts of our culture and work environment. DE&I training for all employees and unconscious bias training for leaders are parts of our learning programs to increase awareness, and employees at all levels are annually evaluated on sustaining an inclusive work environment. The pillars of our diversity program are:

•Leadership: Embrace and foster a culture of inclusion throughout Ocwen and be held accountable for achieving diversity and inclusion goals and objectives.

•Workforce: Attract, develop, retain and advance the best and brightest from all walks of life and backgrounds at all levels of the organization.

•Vendor Diversity: Achieve a range of suppliers, vendors and service providers who align with our diversity and inclusion strategies.

•Community Engagement: Ensure that Ocwen has a significant presence in and supports a core group of diverse, community-based organizations and philanthropies.

As of December 31, 2023, 48% of our employees globally are women, and 34% of our U.S. leadership roles (Director and above) are filled by women and 22% are people of color. 61% of our U.S. employees are women and 45% are people of color. Our affinity groups like the Ocwen Global Women’s Network (OGWN), LEAP Black professionals network, FREE affinity group for LGBTQ+ employees and mentoring programs, when coupled with a culture of appreciation, help provide a comprehensive ecosystem for diversity to flourish.

We also take action to support the recruitment, development and retention of our diverse talent. These programs include ensuring diverse candidate slates as part of our hiring process, tracking minority hiring, promotion, retention and representation at all levels, and assessing diverse talent as part of our succession planning.

Pay equity is an important component of Ocwen’s employment value proposition, commitment to DE&I and legal and regulatory compliance. We regularly evaluate our performance management, merit increase incentive award and promotion processes for race and gender equality, and remediate any identified compensation gaps.

Ocwen supports several organizations focused on promoting diversity in the mortgage industry, including the Five Star Institute’s American Mortgage Diversity Council and the National Housing Conference’s Black Homeownership Collaborative Workstream.

Talent Development. We continue to foster an environment in which every team member has the opportunity to grow and achieve his or her professional goals, with support and encouragement. We regularly measure employee engagement – our employees’ pride, energy and optimism that fuels their effort – and implement action plans that respond to employee feedback. Our most recent employee survey indicated strong engagement levels of 82% favorable. Our training platform focuses not only on the technical domain skills essential to role success, but includes competency-based programs to develop leadership capabilities and skills needed for the future. Succession planning occurs annually and is reviewed by the CEO and the Compensation and Human Capital Committee. Strategic talent reviews to identify, develop and promote top talent are part of our performance management processes. The Aspire mentoring program provides aspiring women leaders at mid-level with a platform to build skill, knowledge and expertise while achieving professional development goals through focused guidance and insight from a network of mentors.

Rewards. Our total rewards (compensation and benefits) programs are developed to attract, motivate and retain employees. They demonstrate the value the employee provides to the organization, are designed to be competitive to the marketplace, and connect directly to key business strategies. Our compensation programs, including salaries and short- and long-term incentives, are centered on our pay-for-performance philosophy, aligning the interests of employees and stakeholders by rewarding both individual and overall company performance. Ocwen’s health and welfare benefit programs strive to keep employees productive and engaged at work by serving the total well-being of employees and their families. We are committed to and regularly evaluate our practices to ensure pay is fair and equitable, and competitive to the marketplace.

Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) Practices and Corporate Sustainability

Our Board of Directors and our management are committed to ensuring Ocwen has responsible practices to address the needs of its customers, employees and the communities it serves. Our comprehensive approach to ESG and corporate sustainability is detailed in our report “Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) and Corporate Sustainability” on our website atwww.ocwen.com in the “Shareholders” section under “Corporate Governance.” Our approach is represented by the following policies and programs:

Policy on non-discrimination. Ocwen’s non-discrimination policy provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals without discrimination based upon the following legally protected characteristics: race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender (including gender identity and expression), age (40 and over), sexual orientation, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status and any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law (collectively referred to as “protected characteristics”). Underlying this policy is Ocwen’s culture and values, including employees’ rights to be free from unlawful discrimination, and its commitment to providing a safe, secure and productive work environment.

Ocwen’s hiring, salary administration, promotion and transfer policies are based solely on job requirements, job performance and job-related criteria. In addition, every effort is made to ensure that Ocwen’s personnel policies and practices (including those relating to compensation, benefits, transfer, retention, termination, training and self-development opportunities, as well as social and recreational programs) are administered without discrimination on the basis of any legally protected characteristic.

Promoting equal opportunity and diversity. Ocwen is committed to providing equal opportunity in all areas of employment, compensation, training and promotion. Company policies prohibit discrimination of any form in all of the locations in which Ocwen operates. Ocwen strives to foster an environment in which all stakeholders can participate and contribute to the success of the organization’s enterprise, taking full advantage of the collective sum of individual differences, life experiences, inventiveness, self-expression and unique capabilities, knowledge and talent. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, which was formed in 2015, is comprised of leaders from different areas of the Company including our Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and helps guide our approach in key areas including Leadership, Workforce, Vendor Diversity and Community Engagement. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion updates are provided to the Executive Leadership Team on a monthly basis and to the Board of Directors as necessary. Ocwen’s Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy is reviewed on an annual basis and diversity, equity and inclusion training is provided to all employees globally.

In 2023, several Ocwen women leaders were recognized for their contributions to the mortgage industry and furthering homeownership. Our Chief Risk and Compliance Officer was recognized in HousingWire’s 2023 “Women of Influence” list and five women employees were nominated for Five Star’s 2023 Women in Housing Leadership Awards. Additionally, our India team was recognized as one of the 2023 Top Employers for LGBTQ+ Inclusion by the India Workplace Equality Index, an honor that reflects our deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Ocwen utilizes affinity groups, of which more than 2,200 employees are members, to help support employee development and drive inclusion, including 18 employee events globally:

•The Ocwen Global Women’s Network (OGWN) supports recruitment, development and retention initiatives for women across the organization, and serves as a sounding board for business insights, and supports the attainment of company goals in diversity, inclusion and talent development. Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into Ocwen’s culture is critical for our success and allows us to make the most of the full range of our talent.

•LEAP, which stands for Leading with Education Action and Purpose, has the mission to educate Ocwen employees globally about Black culture and the Black experience to increase inclusion across the organization. LEAP also enhances the professional development of Black employees through formal and informal mentoring, networking, learning opportunities and leadership development.

•The mission of FREE, which stands for Freedom, Respect, Expression and Equality, is to create a safe, inclusive and affirming office climate that fosters professional and personal growth for employees of all genders and sexualities through education, advocacy, outreach and support. FREE promotes a fully equitable environment that is free of judgment and strives for knowledge, challenges barriers, and seeks to help and empower LGBTQ+ employees and allies.

Commitment to Ethics. We have adopted a robust Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all employees and our Board of Directors, as well as an additional Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Accounting Officer. We provide multiple anonymous methods for any employee or other person to report a suspected ethical violation, including whistleblower complaints relating to accounting, internal controls, audit matters or securities law, and our policies prohibit retaliation against any person for making a good faith complaint. We also provide methods for interested individuals to contact the members of our Board of Directors and communicate directly with the Chair of our Audit Committee. Our General Counsel serves as our Chief Ethics Officer and works with members of our Internal Audit function to ensure every ethics complaint and communication to our Board is addressed in accordance with our company policies.

Benefits. Ocwen’s benefits programs strive to keep employees productive and engaged at work by serving the total well-being of employees’ and their families’ physical, mental and financial health. In the U.S., our comprehensive benefits plan includes company-sponsored medical, dental and vision; company-paid basic life, accident and disability coverage; 401(k) with company match; and supplemental group coverage for critical illness, accident, auto, home, pet, legal, identity protection, childcare/eldercare and tutoring. The medical plans include 100% coverage for all preventive care services and all generic preventive medications.

Our wellness programs offer incentives for completing preventive health screenings, participating in online and telephonic health coaching, improving or reaching targeted health scores, and increasing physical activity. Additionally, we provide employees with a comprehensive employee assistance program that includes virtual counseling, personalized health coaching for diabetes and other chronic conditions, stress management and financial planning workshops, online guided meditation and yoga, and more. Ocwen also provides a generous paid time off (PTO) program to support employees’ need to rest and recharge. Our medical and family leave programs offer paid disability absences and paid parental/adoption leave, in addition to FMLA-required schedule flexibility and job security. Outside the U.S., our employee benefit programs provide comparable and market appropriate benefits focused on supporting our employees well-being and retirement needs.

Training and development. Ocwen is committed to providing our employees with high-quality training and learning experiences targeted to increase industry knowledge levels, improve process efficiency and promote personal growth, which in turn helps improve customer experience, reduce foreclosures and contribute to our success as an organization. Ocwen facilitates professional development through the lifecycle of employees through functional business training, regulatory and compliance training, and skill and competency development programs. We also provide individualized one-on-one coaching to help customer-facing staff guide customers to positive experiences. In addition to learning programs designed to build functional and leadership competency for all levels of leadership throughout the organization, Ocwen offers a Leadership Development Training curriculum specifically designed to prepare employees at the Supervisor level and above with the competencies to make them successful in their roles as leaders. Training courses are housed in our continuously reviewed and updated learning management system.

Our training and development programs are important contributors to our ability to deliver industry-leading customer service. Over the past few years, PHH has been recognized for servicing excellence through Freddie Mac’s SHARPSMand Fannie Mae’s STARTM awards and HUD’s ranking.

Community development. At Ocwen, we believe homeownership is an important part of achieving financial independence, and our philosophy in this regard is “helping homeowners is what we do.” This philosophy is what guides us in our commitment to the communities we serve. We organize a variety of community outreach programs and events with local and national organizations around the country to assist homeowners, particularly in communities of color. Our outreach events began during the 2008 mortgage crisis and have continued since then. In 2023, we hosted 41 borrower outreach events across the country in partnership with the NAACP and seven HUD certified housing counseling agencies. In addition, Ocwen partners with several local municipalities around vacant and abandoned properties to mitigate blight in communities.

To better serve our stakeholders and communities, Ocwen created a Community Advisory Council in 2014, consisting of 15 leaders from a diverse group of national non-profit organizations, consumer advocacy groups and civil rights organizations, as a platform to collaborate and share ideas on how to help homeowners. Ocwen provides grants and sponsorship funding to local and national nonprofit organizations each year, in support of the work they do to help distressed communities and homeowners. Over the past four years, Ocwen has contributed over $6 million to these organizations, and nearly $28 million since 2012.

Additionally, Ocwen’s subsidiary PHH Mortgage formed a community partnership with the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) to develop and provide a new reverse mortgage certification program to NAMB’s members. The success of this training program resulted in PHH Mortgage being named a 2023 Affiliate Company of the Year by NAMB.

Charitable activity. Ocwen continues to find meaningful ways to give back to the communities where we live and work. The charitable events at our office locations around the globe included distributing meals and supporting local food banks, helping economically disadvantaged children and at-risk youth, helping schools for hearing-impaired children, holding toy drives and back-to-school supply drives, helping the homeless, supporting victims of crimes, providing financial assistance to families impacted by cancer, making donations to first responders, helping communities impacted by the pandemic with donations and medical equipment, hosting blood drives through the American Red Cross and making donations to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Opens Doors Foundation to help families with a critically ill or injured child.

Responsible information security management. Ocwen maintains a comprehensive information security program designed to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and availability of its data and information systems. Ocwen’s Board of Directors is consistently updated on information security risks, which are managed through a strategic blend of policies, advanced tools and technologies, and continuous staff awareness initiatives. Ocwen’s cybersecurity controls are structured around a multi-layered defense-in-depth strategy designed to protect the integrity of the network against potential breaches.

Our workforce undergoes regular training to recognize, avert, and report cybersecurity risks and incidents. In parallel, Ocwen’s third-party risk management program assesses and supervises the information security practices of our vendors. It is mandatory for all third-party vendors who handle data processing on our behalf to uphold a well-documented information security program that aligns with our strict security standards.

Ocwen’s readiness for and responsiveness to cyber threats are regularly evaluated through various assessments. These include both internal and external vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, incident response table-top exercises, and breach readiness and response drills. For more detailed information regarding Ocwen’s approach to information security risk management, see “Item 1. Business - Risk Management.”

Environmental Impact. In 2023, Ocwen continued its commitment to operate through a primarily remote working model, reducing the percentage of employees commuting daily to the office. Fewer associates in the offices afforded the opportunity to reduce our office footprint in several markets. As office space footprints were reduced, improvements were made to retrofit lighting and equipment to lower our use of natural resources. Recycling of office and paper products in all U.S. facilities continues to be a priority, which reduces our imprint on the local landfills. In addition, we continue to reduce paper mailings to customers through our digital mailing service, electronic notice delivery and process automations.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Our risk management framework seeks to mitigate risk and appropriately balance risk and return. We have established policies and procedures intended to identify, assess, monitor and manage the types of risk to which we are subject, including strategic, market, credit, liquidity and operational risks.

Our Chief Risk and Compliance Officer is responsible for the design, implementation and oversight of our global risk management and compliance programs. Risks unique to our businesses are governed through various management processes and governance committees to oversee risk and related control activities across our company and provide a framework for potential issues to be identified, assessed and remediated under the direction of senior executives from our business, finance, risk, compliance, internal audit and law departments, as applicable. Information is aggregated and reports on risk matters are made to the Board of Directors, its Risk and Compliance Committee or its other committees, as applicable, to enable the Board of Directors and its committees to fulfill their governance and oversight responsibilities.

Strategic Risk

We are exposed to risk with respect to the strategic initiatives we have taken to return to sustainable growth and profitability. Strategic risk represents the risk to shareholder or enterprise value, current or future earnings, capital and liquidity from adverse business decisions and/or improper implementation of business strategies. Management is responsible for developing and implementing business strategies that leverage our core competencies and are appropriately structured, resourced and executed. Oversight for our strategic actions is provided by the Board of Directors. Our performance, relative to our business plans and our longer-term strategic plans, is reviewed by senior management and the Board of Directors.

To achieve our near-term financial objectives, we believe we need to execute on the key business initiatives discussed under “Item 7. Management Discussion and Analysis-Overview-Business Initiatives”. Our ability to achieve our objectives is highly dependent on the success of our business relationships with our critical counterparties like the GSEs, FHFA, Ginnie Mae, our lenders, regulators, significant customers and our ability to attract new customers, all of which are impacted by our capability to adequately address the competitive challenges we face.

Market Risk

See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

Liquidity Risk

We are exposed to liquidity risk through our ongoing needs to: originate, purchase, repurchase and finance mortgage loans; sell mortgage loans into secondary markets; retain, acquire, finance and hedge MSRs, make and finance advances; fund and sell additional future draws by borrowers under variable rate HECM loans; meet our HMBS issuer obligations with respect to MCA repurchases; repay maturing debt; meet our contractual obligations; and otherwise fund our operations. Liquidity is an essential component of our ability to operate and grow our business; therefore, it is crucial that we maintain adequate levels of excess liquidity to fund our businesses during normal economic cycles and events of market stress.

We estimate how our liquidity needs may be impacted by a number of factors, including fluctuations in asset and liability levels due to our business strategy, asset valuations, changes in cash flows from operations, levels of interest rates, debt service requirements including contractual amortization, margin calls and maturities, and unanticipated events, including legal and regulatory expenses. We also assess market conditions and capacity for debt issuance in the various markets that we access to fund our business needs. We have established internal processes to anticipate future cash needs and continuously monitor the availability of funds pursuant to our existing debt arrangements. We monitor MSR asset valuations and communicate closely with our lenders for this asset class to ensure adequate liquidity is maintained for mark-to-market valuation changes within MSR financing facilities. We manage this risk in multiple ways, including but not limited to engaging in MSR hedging activities, and maintaining liquidity earmarks at levels to support potential changes in MSR fair values.

We regularly evaluate capital structure options that we believe will most effectively provide the necessary capacity to support our investment objectives, address upcoming debt maturities and contractual amortization, and accommodate our business needs. Our objective is to maximize the total investment capacity through diversification of our funding sources while optimizing cost, advance rates and terms.

In general, we finance our business operations through a variety of activities - cash on hand, operating cash flow, strategic investor relationships and both committed and non-committed asset-based lending facilities for our significant MSR, mortgage warehouse and servicing advance activities. We address liquidity risk by actively managing our sources and uses of funds and maintaining contingency funding capacities, including but not limited to undrawn excess borrowing capacity on credit lines beyond our expected needs and by extending the tenor of our financing arrangements from time to time. Management closely monitors growth, and can adjust originations pricing quickly to manage its liquidity profile as needed. We have typically amended sizing on existing facilities or entered into new secured facilities in anticipation of our changing liquidity needs.

Operational Risk

Operational risk is inherent in each of our business lines and related support activities. This risk can manifest itself in various ways, including process execution errors, clerical or technological failures or errors, business interruptions and frauds, all of which could cause us to incur losses. Operational risk includes the following key risks:

•legal risk, as we can have legal disputes with borrowers or counterparties;

•compliance risk, as we are subject to many federal and state rules and regulations;

•third-party risk, as we have many processes that have been outsourced to third parties;

•information technology risk, as we operate many information systems that depend on proper functioning of hardware and software;

•information security risk, as our information systems and associates handle personal financial data of borrowers, and

•business continuity risk, as natural disasters, pandemics, extreme weather, and other unexpected events can cause disruption to our operations.

The Board of Directors provides direction to senior executives by setting our organization’s risk appetite, and delegates to our Chief Executive Officer and senior executives the primary ownership and responsibility for operational risk management and control. Senior executives in our risk department oversee the establishment of policies and control frameworks that are designed, executed and administered to provide a sound and well-controlled operational environment in accordance with our risk appetite framework. We mandate training for our employees in respect to these policies, require business line change management control oversight, and we conduct targeted control assessment/reviews on a regular basis. Risk issues identified are tracked in our Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) system. Remediation and assurance testing are also tracked in our GRC system. We also have several channels for employees to report operational and/or technological issues affecting their operations to management, the operational risk or compliance teams or the Board.

We seek to embed a culture of compliance and business line responsibility for managing operational and compliance risks in our enterprise-wide approach toward risk management. Ocwen has adopted a “Three Lines of Defense” model to enable risks and controls to be properly managed on an on-going basis. The model delineates business line management's accountabilities and responsibilities over risk management and the control environment and includes mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of executing these responsibilities.

The first line of defense consists of business line management, dedicated control directors and quality assurance personnel who are accountable and responsible for their day-to-day activities, processes and controls. The first line of defense is responsible for ensuring that key risks within their activities and operations are identified, assessed, mitigated and monitored by an appropriate control environment that is commensurate with the operations risk profile.

The second line of defense is independent from the business and comprises a Risk Management function (including Third-Party Risk and Information Security) and a Compliance function, which are responsible for:

•providing assurance, oversight, and credible challenge over the effectiveness of the risk and control activities conducted by the first line;

•establishing frameworks to identify and measure the risks being taken by different parts of the business;

•monitoring risk levels, through key indicators and oversight/assurance and testing programs; and

•providing periodic reporting to senior management and the Board of Directors for transparency.

The third line of defense, Internal Audit, provides independent assurance as to the effectiveness of the design, implementation and embedding of the risk management frameworks, as well as the management of the risks and controls by the first line and control oversight by the second line. The Internal Audit function provides periodic reporting on its activities to senior management and the Board of Directors for transparency.

All business units and overhead functions are subject to unrestricted audits by our internal audit department. Internal audit is granted unrestricted access to our records, physical properties, systems, management and employees in order to perform these audits. The internal audit department reports to the Audit Committee of the Board and assists the Audit Committee in fulfilling its governance and oversight responsibility.

Compliance risk is managed through an enterprise-wide compliance risk management program designed to monitor, detect and deter compliance issues. Our compliance and risk management policies assign primary responsibility and accountability for the management of compliance risk in the lines of business to business line management.

Information Security Risk oversight is performed by our Chief Information Security Officer who reports to the Chief Administrative Officer. Ocwen’s information security plans are developed to meet or exceed Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council standards. See Item 1 C. “Cybersecurity” below.

Credit Risk

Consumer Credit Risk

The typical obligor credit-related risks inherent in maintaining a mortgage loan portfolio as an investment tend to impact us less than a typical long-term investor because we generally sell the mortgage loans that we originate in the secondary market shortly after origination through GSE and Ginnie Mae guaranteed securitizations and whole loan transactions. We are exposed to early payment defaults from the time that we originate a loan to the time that the loan is sold in the secondary market or shortly thereafter. Early payment defaults are monitored and loans are audited by our quality assurance teams for origination defects. Our exposure to early payment defaults remains very limited and we do not anticipate material losses from this exposure.

Servicing costs are generally higher on higher credit risk loans. In addition, higher credit risk loans are generally affected to a greater extent by an economic downturn or a deterioration of the housing market. An increase in delinquencies and foreclosure rates generally results in increased advances for delinquent principal and interest, taxes and insurance, foreclosure costs and the upkeep of vacant property in foreclosure. Interest expense on advances and higher operating expenses decrease the value of our servicing portfolio. We track the credit risk profile of our servicing portfolio, including the recoverability of advances, with a view to ensuring that changes in portfolio credit risk are identified on a timely basis.

We have loan repurchase and indemnification obligations arising from potential breaches of the representation and warranty provisions in connection with loans we sell in the secondary market. In the event of a breach of these representations and warranties, we may be required to repurchase a mortgage loan or indemnify the purchaser, and we may bear any subsequent loss on the mortgage loan.

We endeavor to minimize our losses from loan repurchases and indemnifications by focusing on originating or purchasing fully compliant mortgage loans and closely monitoring investor and agency eligibility requirements for loan sales. Our quality assurance teams perform independent testing related to the processing and underwriting of mortgage loans to investor guidelines prior to closing, as well as after the closing but before the sale of loans, to identify potential repurchase exposures due to breach of representations and warranties. In addition, we perform a comprehensive review of the loan files where we receive investor requests for repurchase and indemnification to establish the validity of the claims and determine our obligation.

In limited circumstances, we may retain the full risk of loss on loans sold to the extent that the liquidation value of the asset collateralizing the loan is insufficient to cover the loan itself and associated servicing expenses. In instances where we have purchased loans from third parties, we usually have the ability to recover the loss from the third-party originator.

Counterparty Credit Risk

Counterparty credit risk represents the potential loss that may occur because a party to a transaction fails to perform according to the terms of the contract. We regularly evaluate the financial position and creditworthiness of our counterparties and disperse risk among multiple counterparties to the extent possible. We manage derivative counterparty credit risk by entering into financial instrument transactions through national exchanges, primary dealers or approved counterparties and using mutual margining agreements whenever possible to limit potential exposure.

Rithm is contractually obligated, pursuant to our agreements with them related to the Rights to MSRs, to make all advances required in connection with the loans underlying such MSRs. If Rithm’s advance financing facilities do not perform as envisaged or should Rithm otherwise be unable to meets its advance financing obligations, we would be required to meet our advance financing obligations with respect to the loans underlying these Rights to MSRs, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and servicing operations. Due to its concentration in our portfolio, we monitor Rithm’s payment performance, liquidity and capital on a regular basis.

Counterparty credit risk exists with our third-party originators, including our correspondent lenders, from whom we purchase originated mortgage loans. The third-party originators make certain representations and warranties to us when we acquire the mortgage loan from them, and they agree to reimburse us for losses incurred due to an origination defect. We become exposed to losses for origination defects if the third-party originator is not able to reimburse us for losses incurred for indemnification or repurchase. We mitigate this risk by monitoring purchase levels from our third-party originators (to reduce concentration risk), by performing regular quality control reviews of the third-party originators’ underwriting standards and by regular reviews of the creditworthiness of third-party originators.

Concentration Risk

Our Servicing segment has exposure to concentration risk and client retention risk. As of December 31, 2023, our servicing portfolio included significant client relationships with Rithm which represented 16% and 27% of our servicing and subservicing portfolio UPB and loan count, respectively. The Rithm servicing and subservicing portfolio accounts for approximately 67% of all delinquent loans that Ocwen services. During 2023, Rithm-related servicing fees retained by Ocwen represented approximately 12% of the total servicing and subservicing fees earned by Ocwen, net of servicing fees remitted to Rithm (excluding ancillary income). The current terms of our agreements with Rithm extend through December 2024.

Our Subservicing Agreements and Servicing Addendum with Rithm provide for automatic one-year renewals, unless Ocwen or Rithm provide advance notice of termination. Ocwen and Rithm did not provide their respective notice of termination in 2023. Accordingly, the servicing agreements with Rithm are extended through December 31, 2024, with subsequent, automatic one-year renewals. If Rithm exercises its right to terminate all or some of the agreements (for convenience by October 2024 or for cause at any time), we might need to right-size certain aspects of our servicing business as well as the related corporate support functions, and we may need to adjust our daily liquidity management due to the reduction of servicing float balances associated with the Rithm servicing agreements.

In addition, as of December 31, 2023, our servicing and subservicing portfolio also included a significant client relationship with MAV which represented 19% of the UPB and 15% of the loan count in our total servicing and subservicing portfolio. While our servicing agreement with MAV is non-cancellable and provides us with exclusivity, MAV is permitted to sell the underlying MSR without Ocwen’s consent after May 3, 2024.

MAV has the right to terminate the Subservicing Agreement entirely in the event of certain events of default, including failure by Ocwen to meet financial or operational requirements, including service levels. MAV may also terminate the Subservicing Agreement in the event of a change of control of Ocwen or PHH. Termination of some or all of our subservicing rights due to sales by MAV or termination of the entire Subservicing Agreement for cause could result in the loss of a significant portion of Ocwen’s total subservicing and subservicing portfolio and materially and adversely affect Ocwen’s business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Market conditions, including interest rates and future economic projections, could impact investor demand to hold MSRs, which may result in our loss of additional subservicing relationships, or significantly decrease the number of loans under such relationships.

The mortgaged properties securing the residential loans that we service are geographically dispersed throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories. The five largest concentrations of properties are located in California, Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey, comprising 40% of the number of loans serviced at December 31, 2023. California has the largest concentration with 15% of the total loans serviced.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports are made available free of charge through our website (www.ocwen.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including Ocwen, that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is www.sec.gov. We have also posted on our website, and have available in print upon request (1) the charters for our Audit Committee, Compensation and Human Capital Committee, Nomination/Governance Committee and Risk and Compliance Committee, (2) our Corporate Governance Guidelines, (3) our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and (4) our Code of Ethics for Senior Financial Officers.