Accounting for Mortgage Servicing Rights—an amendment of FASB Statement No. 65 (Issued 5/95)

Summary

This Statement amends FASB Statement No. 65, Accounting for Certain Mortgage Banking Activities, to require that a mortgage banking enterprise recognize as separate assets rights to service mortgage loans for others, however those servicing rights are acquired. A mortgage banking enterprise that acquires mortgage servicing rights through either the purchase or origination of mortgage loans and sells or securitizes those loans with servicing rights retained should allocate the total cost of the mortgage loans to the mortgage servicing rights and the loans (without the mortgage servicing rights) based on their relative fair values if it is practicable to estimate those fair values. If it is not practicable to estimate the fair values of the mortgage servicing rights and the mortgage loans (without the mortgage servicing rights), the entire cost of purchasing or originating the loans should be allocated to the mortgage loans (without the mortgage servicing rights) and no cost should be allocated to the mortgage servicing rights.

This Statement requires that a mortgage banking enterprise assess its capitalized mortgage servicing rights for impairment based on the fair value of those rights. A mortgage banking enterprise should stratify its mortgage servicing rights that are capitalized after the adoption of this Statement based on one or more of the predominant risk characteristics of the underlying loans. Impairment should be recognized through a valuation allowance for each impaired stratum.

This Statement applies prospectively in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1995, to transactions in which amortgage banking enterprise sells or securitizes mortgage loans with servicing rights retained and to impairment evaluations of all amounts capitalized as mortgage servicing rights, including those purchased before the adoption of this Statement. Earlier application is encouraged. Retroactive capitalization of mortgage servicing rights retained in transactions in which a mortgage banking enterprise originates mortgage loans and sells or securitizes those loans before the adoption of this Statement is prohibited.