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Note 27 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]
NOTE 27 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Relationship with Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors


Ocwen’s Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, William C. Erbey, also serves as Chairman of the Board for both Altisource and HLSS. As a result, he has obligations to Ocwen as well as to Altisource and HLSS. Mr. Erbey currently owns approximately 13% of the common stock of Ocwen, approximately 23% of the common stock of Altisource and approximately 2% of the common stock of HLSS. At December 31, 2012, Mr. Erbey also held 4,684,177 options to purchase OCN common stock, of which 2,384,177 were exercisable. He also held 894,728 options to purchase Altisource (ASPS) common stock, including 844,728 which were exercisable.


Mr. Erbey has relocated to St. Croix, USVI to serve as Chairman and CEO of OMS. On August 21, 2012, the Ocwen Board of Directors approved Ocwen’s purchase of Mr. Erbey’s residence in Atlanta, Georgia, for his cost-basis in the home of $6,477. Ocwen also incurred approximately $24 of related transaction costs. The transaction is consistent with Ocwen’s standard senior executive relocation policy and practice. We have classified our investment in this property as real estate held for sale, a component of Other assets. We account for the excess of cost over fair value (less costs to sell) as a valuation allowance and include changes in the valuation allowance in Loss on loans held for sale, net.


Relationship with Altisource


For purposes of governing certain of the ongoing relationships between Ocwen and Altisource after the Separation, and to provide for an orderly transition to the status of two independent companies, we entered into certain agreements with Altisource. Under the Transition Services Agreement, the companies provide to each other services in such areas as human resources, vendor management, corporate services, six sigma, quality assurance, quantitative analytics, treasury, accounting, tax matters, risk management, law, strategic planning, compliance and other areas. The Transition Services Agreement was amended on August 10, 2011, in order to extend the initial twenty-four month term for an additional twelve months, and it expired on August 10, 2012.


Under the Services Agreement, Altisource provides various business process outsourcing services, such as valuation services and property preservation and inspection services, among other things. Altisource also provides certain technology products and support services to Ocwen under the Technology Products Services Agreement and the Data Center and Disaster Recovery Services Agreement both of which had an initial term of eight years from the spin-off date. In addition, under the Data Access and Services Agreement entered into in the third quarter of 2011, Ocwen has agreed to make available to Altisource certain data from Ocwen’s servicing portfolio in exchange for a per asset fee.


On August 10, 2012, OMS entered into a Support Services Agreement with Altisource setting forth certain services OMS and Altisource will provide to each other which are similar to the services the parties provided to each other pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement. The Support Services Agreement has an initial term of five years. OMS also entered into a Services Agreement, a Technology Products Services Agreement and a Center and Disaster Recovery Services Agreement under which Altisource will provide services similar to those provided under the similarly titled agreements entered into in connection with the Separation. These agreements all have an initial term of eight years.


Certain services provided by Altisource under these contracts are charged to the borrower and/or loan investor. Accordingly, such services, while derived from our loan servicing portfolio, are not reported as expenses by Ocwen. These services include residential property valuation, residential property preservation and inspection services, title services and real estate sales.


Our business is currently dependent on many of the services and products provided under these long-term contracts which are effective for up to eight years with renewal rights. We believe the rates charged under these agreements are market rates as they are materially consistent with one or more of the following: the fees charged by Altisource to other customers for comparable services and the rates Ocwen pays to or observes from other service providers.


In addition to the revenues and expenses we recorded associated with the agreements discussed above, during 2010 and 2011 we sold certain equipment to Altisource that we had acquired from HomEq and Litton. As disclosed in Note 2, these assets consisted primarily of computer hardware and software and furniture and fixtures and were sold for cash proceeds equal to the acquisition fair value, as adjusted. As a result, we recognized no gain or loss on these sales. Also, in 2010 we entered into an agreement to sublease from Altisource our principal executive office space in Atlanta, Georgia.


As disclosed in Note 1, Ocwen and Altisource each hold a 49% equity interest in Correspondent One, a company that facilitates the purchase of conforming and government-guaranteed residential mortgages from approved mortgage originators and resells the mortgages to secondary market investors. As of December 31, 2012, Ocwen had invested $13,432 in Correspondent One.


On December 27, 2012, we entered into a senior unsecured term loan facility agreement (the Unsecured Loan Agreement) with Altisource and borrowed $75 million. The proceeds of this loan were used to fund a portion of the Homeward Acquisition. Borrowings under the Unsecured Loan Agreement bear interest at a rate equal to the one-month Eurodollar Rate (1-Month LIBOR) plus 675 basis points with a Eurodollar Rate floor of 150 basis points.


The final maturity date for the Unsecured Loan Agreement is March 1, 2017, and it does not provide for any scheduled amortization. Borrowings under the Unsecured Loan Agreement must be repaid when the SSTL is paid in full. However, if the SSTL is not paid off before October 31, 2013, Altisource may require that we convert all or a portion of the outstanding principal and unpaid interest accrued on the Unsecured Loan into any of the following, at Altisource’s discretion (i) an investment in or of Homeward, (ii) property or assets of Homeward, (iii) equity interests of Homeward, or (iv) if Altisource and Ocwen agree, any other assets of Ocwen or its subsidiaries. Any such conversion will be based upon mutually agreeable terms and conditions, including without limitation, conversion price, as reasonably negotiated in good faith between Ocwen and Altisource. Unless Altisource otherwise agrees in writing, the conversion must take place on or prior to November 15, 2013. The Unsecured Loan Agreement contains provisions equivalent to those found in the SSTL with respect to covenants and events of default.


Relationship with HLSS


As disclosed in Note 3, Ocwen and HLSS Management entered into an agreement to provide to each other certain professional services including valuation analysis of potential MSR acquisitions, treasury management services and other similar services, legal, licensing and regulatory compliance support services, risk management services and other similar services.


The following table summarizes our transactions with related parties for the years ended December 31, and amounts receivable from or payable to related parties:


    2012     2011     2010  
Revenues and Expenses:                        
Altisource:                        
Revenues   $ 16,532     $ 12,242     $ 13,520  
Expenses     28,987       23,226       20,082  
HLSS:                        
Revenues   $ 195     $ —     $ —  
Expenses     2,432       —       —  

    December 31, 2012     December 31, 2011  
Net Receivable (Payable)                
Altisource   $ (5,971 )   $ (1,965 )
HLSS     (25,524 )     —  
    $ (31,495 )   $ (1,965 )