Realization Upon Defaulted Mortgage Loans; Repurchase of Certain Mortgage Loans (a) The Master Servicer shall use reasonable efforts to foreclose upon or otherwise comparably convert the ownership of properties securing such of the Mortgage Loans as come into and continue in default and as to which no satisfactory arrangements can be made for collection of delinquent payments. In connection with such foreclosure or other conversion, the Master Servicer shall follow such practices and procedures as it shall deem necessary or advisable and as shall be normal and usual in its general mortgage servicing activities and meet the requirements of the insurer under any Required Insurance Policy; provided, however, that the Master Servicer shall not be required to expend its own funds in connection with any foreclosure or towards the restoration of any property unless it shall determine (i) that such restoration and/or foreclosure will increase the proceeds of liquidation of the Mortgage Loan after reimbursement to itself of such expenses and (ii) that such expenses will be recoverable to it through Liquidation Proceeds (respecting which it shall have priority for purposes of withdrawals from the Certificate Account). The Master Servicer shall be responsible for all other costs and expenses incurred by it in any such proceedings; provided, however, that it shall be entitled to reimbursement thereof from the liquidation proceeds with respect to the related Mortgaged Property, as provided in the definition of Liquidation Proceeds. If the Master Servicer has knowledge that a Mortgaged Property which the Master Servicer is contemplating acquiring in foreclosure or by deed in lieu of foreclosure is located within a 1 mile radius of any site listed in the Expenditure Plan for the Hazardous Substance Clean Up Bond Act of 1984 or other site with environmental or hazardous waste risks known to the Master Servicer, the Master Servicer will, prior to acquiring the Mortgaged Property, consider such risks and only take action in accordance with its established environmental review procedures. With respect to any REO Property, the deed or certificate of sale shall be taken in the name of the Trustee for the benefit of the Certificateholders, or its nominee, on behalf of the Certificateholders. The Trustee's name shall be placed on the title to such REO Property solely as the Trustee hereunder and not in its individual capacity. The Master Servicer shall ensure that the title to such REO Property references the Pooling and Servicing Agreement and the Trustee's capacity thereunder. Pursuant to its efforts to sell such REO Property, the Master Servicer shall either itself or through an agent selected by the Master Servicer protect and conserve such REO Property in the same manner and to such extent as is customary in the locality where such REO Property is located and may, incident to its conservation and protection of the interests of the Certificateholders, rent the same, or any part thereof, as the Master Servicer deems to be in the best interest of the Certificateholders for the period prior to the sale of such REO Property. The Master Servicer shall prepare for and deliver to the Trustee a statement with respect to each REO Property that has been rented showing the aggregate rental income received and all expenses incurred in connection with the maintenance of such REO Property at such times as is necessary to enable the Trustee to comply with the reporting requirements of the REMIC Provisions. The net monthly rental income, if any, from such REO Property shall be deposited in the Certificate Account no later than the close of business on each Determination Date. The Master Servicer shall perform the tax reporting and withholding required by Sections 1445 and 6050J of the Code with respect to foreclosures and abandonments, the tax reporting required by Section 6050H of the Code with respect to the receipt of mortgage interest from individuals and any tax reporting required by Section 6050P of the Code with respect to the cancellation of indebtedness by certain financial entities, by preparing such tax and information returns as may be required, in the form required, and delivering the same to the Trustee for filing. In the event that the Trust Fund acquires any Mortgaged Property as aforesaid or otherwise in connection with a default or imminent default on a Mortgage Loan, the Master Servicer shall dispose of such Mortgaged Property as soon as practicable in a manner that maximizes the Liquidation Proceeds thereof, but in no event later than three years after its acquisition by the Trust Fund. In that event, the Trustee shall have been supplied with an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the holding by the Trust Fund of such Mortgaged Property subsequent to a three-year period, if applicable, will not result in the imposition of taxes on "prohibited transactions" of any REMIC hereunder as defined in section 860F of the Code or cause any REMIC hereunder to fail to qualify as a REMIC at any time that any Certificates are outstanding, the Trust Fund may continue to hold such Mortgaged Property (subject to any conditions contained in such Opinion of Counsel) after the expiration of such three-year period. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no Mortgaged Property acquired by the Trust Fund shall be rented (or allowed to continue to be rented) or otherwise used for the production of income by or on behalf of the Trust Fund in such a manner or pursuant to any terms that would (i) cause such Mortgaged Property to fail to qualify as "foreclosure property" within the meaning of section 860G(a)(8) of the Code or (ii) subject any REMIC hereunder to the imposition of any federal, state or local income taxes on the income earned from such Mortgaged Property under Section 860G(c) of the Code or otherwise, unless the Master Servicer has agreed to indemnify and hold harmless the Trust Fund with respect to the imposition of any such taxes. In the event of a default on a Mortgage Loan one or more of whose obligor is not a United States Person, as that term is defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code, in connection with any foreclosure or acquisition of a deed in lieu of foreclosure (together, "foreclosure") in respect of such Mortgage Loan, the Master Servicer will cause compliance with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.1445-2(d)(3) (or any successor thereto) necessary to assure that no withholding tax obligation arises with respect to the proceeds of such foreclosure except to the extent, if any, that proceeds of such foreclosure are required to be remitted to the obligors on such Mortgage Loan. The decision of the Master Servicer to foreclose on a defaulted Mortgage Loan shall be subject to a determination by the Master Servicer that the proceeds of such foreclosure would exceed the costs and expenses of bringing such a proceeding. The income earned from the management of any REO Properties, net of reimbursement to the Master Servicer for expenses incurred (including any property or other taxes) in connection with such management and net of unreimbursed Basic Master Servicing Fees, Advances and Servicing Advances, shall be applied to the payment of principal of and interest on the related defaulted Mortgage Loans (with interest accruing as though such Mortgage Loans were still current) and all such income shall be deemed, for all purposes in this Agreement, to be payments on account of principal and interest on the related Mortgage Notes and shall be deposited into the Certificate Account. To the extent the net income received during any calendar month is in excess of the amount attributable to amortizing principal and accrued interest at the related Mortgage Rate on the related Mortgage Loan for such calendar month, such excess shall be considered to be a partial prepayment of principal of the related Mortgage Loan. The proceeds from any liquidation of a Mortgage Loan, as well as any income from an REO Property, will be applied in the following order of priority: first, to reimburse the Master Servicer for any related unreimbursed Servicing Advances and Basic Master Servicing Fees; second, to reimburse the Master Servicer for any unreimbursed Advances; third, to reimburse the Certificate Account for any Nonrecoverable Advances (or portions thereof) that were previously withdrawn by the Master Servicer pursuant to Section 3.08(a)(iii) that related to such Mortgage Loan; fourth, to accrued and unpaid interest (to the extent no Advance has been made for such amount or any such Advance has been reimbursed) on the Mortgage Loan or related REO Property, at the Adjusted Net Mortgage Rate to the Due Date occurring in the month in which such amounts are required to be distributed; and fifth, as a recovery of principal of the Mortgage Loan. Excess Proceeds, if any, from the liquidation of a Liquidated Mortgage Loan will be retained by the Master Servicer as additional servicing compensation pursuant to Section 3.14. The Master Servicer, in its sole discretion, shall have the right to purchase for its own account from the Trust Fund any Mortgage Loan which is 151 days or more delinquent at a price equal to the Purchase Price; provided, however, that the Master Servicer may only exercise this right on or before the next to the last day of the calendar month in which such Mortgage Loan became 151 days delinquent (such month, the "Eligible Repurchase Month"); provided further, that any such Mortgage Loan which becomes current but thereafter becomes delinquent may be purchased by the Master Servicer pursuant to this Section in any ensuing Eligible Repurchase Month. The Purchase Price for any Mortgage Loan purchased hereunder shall be deposited in the Certificate Account and the Trustee, upon receipt of a certificate from the Master Servicer in the form of Exhibit N hereto, shall release or cause to be released to the purchaser of such Mortgage Loan the related Mortgage File and shall execute and deliver such instruments of transfer or assignment prepared by the purchaser of such Mortgage Loan, in each case without recourse, as shall be necessary to vest in the purchaser of such Mortgage Loan any Mortgage Loan released pursuant hereto and the purchaser of such Mortgage Loan shall succeed to all the Trustee's right, title and interest in and to such Mortgage Loan and all security and documents related thereto. Such assignment shall be an assignment outright and not for security. The purchaser of such Mortgage Loan shall thereupon own such Mortgage Loan, and all security and documents, free of any further obligation to the Trustee or the Certificateholders with respect thereto.
(b) The Master Servicer may agree to a modification of any Mortgage Loan (the "Modified Mortgage Loan") if (i) the modification is in lieu of a refinancing and (ii) the Mortgage Rate on the Modified Mortgage Loan is approximately a prevailing market rate for newly-originated mortgage loans having similar terms and (iii) the Master Servicer purchases the Modified Mortgage Loan from the Trust Fund as described below. Effective immediately after the modification, and, in any event, on the same Business Day on which the modification occurs, all interest of the Trustee in the Modified Mortgage Loan shall automatically be deemed transferred and assigned to the Master Servicer and all benefits and burdens of ownership thereof, including the right to accrued interest thereon from the date of modification and the risk of default thereon, shall pass to the Master Servicer. The Master Servicer shall promptly deliver to the Trustee a certification of a Servicing Officer to the effect that all requirements of this paragraph have been satisfied with respect to the Modified Mortgage Loan. For federal income tax purposes, the Trustee shall account for such purchase as a prepayment in full of the Modified Mortgage Loan. The Master Servicer shall deposit the Purchase Price for any Modified Mortgage Loan in the Certificate Account pursuant to Section 3.05 within one Business Day after the purchase of the Modified Mortgage Loan. Upon receipt by the Trustee of written notification of any such deposit signed by a Servicing Officer, the Trustee shall release to the Master Servicer the related Mortgage File and shall execute and deliver such instruments of transfer or assignment, in each case without recourse, as shall be necessary to vest in the Master Servicer any Modified Mortgage Loan previously transferred and assigned pursuant hereto. The Master Servicer covenants and agrees to indemnify the Trust Fund against any liability for any "prohibited transaction" taxes and any related interest, additions, and penalties imposed on the Trust Fund established hereunder as a result of any modification of a Mortgage Loan effected pursuant to this subsection (b), any holding of a Modified Mortgage Loan by the Trust Fund or any purchase of a Modified Mortgage Loan by the Master Servicer (but such obligation shall not prevent the Master Servicer or any other appropriate Person from in good faith contesting any such tax in appropriate proceedings and shall not prevent the Master Servicer from withholding payment of such tax, if permitted by law, pending the outcome of such proceedings). The Master Servicer shall have no right of reimbursement for any amount paid pursuant to the foregoing indemnification, except to the extent that the amount of any tax, interest, and penalties, together with interest thereon, is refunded to the Trust Fund or the Master Servicer.
