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Exhibit 99.6
ASSIGNMENT, ASSUMPTION AND RECOGNITION AGREEMENT
THIS ASSIGNMENT, ASSUMPTION AND RECOGNITION AGREEMENT (the
"Assignment") is
dated as of July 1, 2007, by and among Merrill Lynch Mortgage
Lending, Inc.,
having an address at 250 Vesey Street, 4 World Financial Center,
10th Floor, New
York, New York 10080 ("Assignor"), Merrill Lynch Mortgage
Investors, Inc.,
having an address at 250 Vesey Street, 4 World Financial Center,
10th Floor, New
York, New York 10080 ("Assignee") and PHH Mortgage Corporation,
formerly known
as Cendant Mortgage Corporation, having an address at 3000
Leadenhall Rd, Mt.
Laurel, New Jersey 08054 (the "Servicer").
WHEREAS, the Servicer and Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation
("MLCC"),
entered into that certain Portfolio Servicing Agreement, dated
January 28, 2000
(as amended by that certain Amendment Agreement No. 1, dated as
of January 2,
2001, the "Merrill Lynch Ops Guide") attached hereto as Exhibit
F;
WHEREAS, the Assignor purchased the mortgage loans identified on
Exhibit A
attached hereto (the "Mortgage Loans") from MLCC pursuant to
that certain Master
Mortgage Loan Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 1, 2004,
between the
Assignor and MLCC;
WHEREAS, MLCC assigned its rights with respect to the Mortgage
Loans under
the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide to the Assignor pursuant to that
certain Assignment,
Assumption and Recognition Agreement, dated as of September 1,
2004, among MLCC,
Assignor and Servicer (the "MLCC AAR") attached hereto as
Exhibit B-2; and
WHEREAS, the Assignor wishes to assign to Assignee all of its
right, title
and interest with respect to the Mortgage Loans and all of its
right, title and
interest under the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the MLCC AAR,
with respect to the
Mortgage Loans, and Assignee wishes to assume all of Assignor's
right, title and
interest in and to such Mortgage Loans as provided in the
Merrill Lynch Ops
Guide and the MLCC AAR.
WHEREAS, the Servicer shall service the Mortgage Loans in
accordance with
the servicing provisions contained in the Mortgage Loan Flow
Purchase, Sale and
Servicing Agreement, dated as of March 27, 2001 (the "Servicing
Agreement")
attached hereto as Exhibit B-1, among Merrill Lynch Mortgage
Capital, Inc.
("MLMC"), the Servicer and Bishop's Gate Residential Mortgage
Trust;
WHEREAS, the Servicer and the Assignee hereto agree that
Assignee will have
all the duties, rights, obligations and privileges of Purchaser
under the
Servicing Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt
and
sufficiency of which hereby are acknowledged, and of the mutual
covenants herein
contained, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
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1. Defined terms used in this Assignment and not otherwise
defined herein shall
have the meaning set forth in the Servicing Agreement.
2. Assignor hereby grants, sells, transfers and assigns to
Assignee all of the
right, title and interest of Assignor in the Mortgage Loans and,
as they relate
to the Mortgage Loans, all of its right, title and interest in,
to and under the
Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the MLCC AAR. The Assignor
specifically reserves and
does not assign to the Assignee hereunder any and all right,
title and interest
in, to and under and all obligations of the Assignor with
respect to any
mortgage loans subject to the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the
MLCC AAR which are
not the Mortgage Loans set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto
and are not the
subject of this Agreement.
3. The Assignor warrants and represents to the Assignee and to
the Servicer as
of the date hereof:
(a) Attached hereto as Exhibit B-2 and Exhibit F are true and
accurate
copies of the MLCC AAR and the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide,
respectively, which
agreements are in full force and effect as of the date hereof
and the provisions
of which have not been waived, amended or modified in any
respect, nor has any
notice of termination been given thereunder, and that attached
hereto as Exhibit
B-1 is a true and accurate copy of the Servicing Agreement;
(b) The Assignor was the lawful owner of the Mortgage Loans with
full right
to transfer the Mortgage Loans and any and all of its interests,
rights and
obligations under the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the MLCC AAR
as they relate to
the Mortgage Loans, free and clear from any and all claims and
encumbrances; and
upon the transfer of the Mortgage Loans to the Assignee as
contemplated herein,
the Assignee shall have good title to each and every Mortgage
Loan, as well as
any and all of the Assignor's interests, rights and obligations
under the
Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the MLCC AAR as they relate to the
Mortgage Loans,
free and clear of any and all liens, claims and
encumbrances;
(c) There are no offsets, counterclaims or other defenses
available to the
Assignor with respect to the Mortgage Loans, the Merrill Lynch
Ops Guide and the
MLCC AAR;
(d) The Assignor has no knowledge of, and has not received
notice of, any
waivers under, or any modification of, any Mortgage Loan;
(e) The Assignor is duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, and has
all requisite
power and authority to acquire, own and sell the Mortgage
Loans;
(f) The Assignor has full corporate power and authority to
execute, deliver
and perform its obligations under this Assignment, and to
consummate the
transactions set forth herein. The consummation of the
transactions contemplated
by this Assignment is in the ordinary course of the Assignor's
business and will
not conflict with, or result in a breach of, any of the terms,
conditions or
provisions of the Assignor's charter or by-laws or any legal
restriction, or any
material agreement or instrument to which Assignor is now a
party or by which it
is bound,
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or result in the violation of any law, rule, regulation, order,
judgment or
decree to which Assignor or its property is subject. The
execution, delivery and
performance by the Assignor of this Assignment and the
consummation by it of the
transactions contemplated hereby, have been duly authorized by
all necessary
corporate action on part of the Assignor. This Assignment has
been duly executed
and delivered by the Assignor and, upon the due authorization,
execution and
delivery by the Assignee and the Servicer, will constitute the
valid and legally
binding obligation of the Assignor enforceable against the
Assignor in
accordance with its terms except as enforceability may be
limited by bankruptcy,
reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other similar laws now
or hereafter in
effect relating to creditors' rights generally, and by general
principles of
equity regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a
proceeding in
equity or at law; and
(g) No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or
declaration, filing
or registration with, any governmental entity is required to be
obtained or made
by the Assignor in connection with the execution, delivery or
performance by the
Assignor of this Assignment, or the consummation by it of the
transactions
contemplated hereby. Neither the Assignor nor anyone acting on
its behalf has
offered, transferred, pledged, sold or otherwise disposed of the
Mortgage Loans
or any interest in the Mortgage Loans, or solicited any offer to
buy or accept a
transfer, pledge or other disposition of the Mortgage Loans, or
any interest in
the Mortgage Loans or otherwise approached or negotiated with
respect to the
Mortgage Loans, or any interest in the Mortgage Loans with any
Person in any
manner, or made any general solicitation by means of general
advertising or in
any other manner, or taken any other action which would
constitute a
distribution of the Mortgage Loans under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended
(the "1933 Act") or which would render the disposition of the
Mortgage Loans a
violation of Section 5 of the 1933 Act or require registration
pursuant thereto.
4. The Assignee represents, warrants and covenants with the
Assignor and the
Servicer that:
(a) The Assignee is a corporation, duly organized, validly
existing and in
good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
incorporation, and has
all requisite power and authority to acquire, own and purchase
the Mortgage
Loans;
(b) The Assignee has full power and authority to execute,
deliver and
perform under this Assignment, and to consummate the
transactions set forth
herein. The consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Assignment is
in the ordinary course of the Assignee's business and will not
conflict with, or
result in a breach of, any of the terms, conditions or
provisions of the
Assignee's charter or bylaws, or any legal restriction, or any
material
agreement or instrument to which the Assignee is now a party or
by which it is
bound, or result in the violation of any law, rule, regulation,
order, judgment
or decree to which the Assignee or its property is subject. The
execution,
delivery and performance by the Assignee of this Assignment and
the consummation
by it of the transactions contemplated hereby, have been duly
authorized by all
necessary corporate action of the Assignee. This Assignment has
been duly
executed and delivered by the Assignee and, upon the due
authorization,
execution and delivery by the Assignor and the Servicer, will
constitute the
valid and legally binding obligation of the
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Assignee enforceable against the Assignee in accordance with its
terms, except
as enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy,
insolvency, or
reorganization or other similar laws now or hereinafter in
effect relating to
creditor's rights generally and by general principles of equity,
regardless of
whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in
equity or in law;
(c) No material consent, approval, order or authorization of,
or
declaration, filing or registration with, any governmental
entity is required to
be obtained or made by the Assignee in connection with the
execution, delivery
or performance by the Assignee of this Assignment, or the
consummation by it of
the transactions contemplated hereby;
(d) There is no action, suit, proceeding, investigation or
litigation
pending or, to the Assignee's knowledge, threatened, which
either in any
instance or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the
Assignee, would
adversely affect the Assignee's execution or delivery of, or the
enforceability
of, this Assignment, or the Assignee's ability to perform its
obligations under
this Assignment; and
(e) The Assignee assumes for the benefit of the Trust, all of
the rights of
Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation under the Merrill Lynch Ops
Guide and the MLCC
AAR with respect to the Mortgage Loans listed on Exhibit A,
including the right
to enforce the obligations of the Servicer under the Servicing
Agreement as they
relate to the servicing of the Mortgage Loans.
5. The Servicer warrants and represents to, and covenants with,
Assignor and
Assignee as of the date hereof:
(a) Attached hereto as Exhibit B-1 and Exhibit F are true and
accurate
copies of the Servicing Agreement and the Merrill Lynch Ops
Guide which
agreements are in full force and effect as of the date hereof
and the provisions
of which have not been waived, amended or modified in any
respect other than by
the MLCC AAR, nor has any notice of termination been given
thereunder;
(b) The Servicer is duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, and the
Servicer has
all requisite power and authority to service the Mortgage Loans
and the Servicer
has all requisite power and authority to perform its obligations
under the
Merrill Lynch Ops Guide and the Servicing Agreement;
(c) The Servicer has full corporate power and authority to
execute, deliver
and perform its obligations under this Assignment, and to
consummate the
transactions set forth herein. The consummation of the
transactions contemplated
by this Assignment is in the ordinary course of the Servicer's
business and will
not conflict with, or result in a breach of, any of the terms,
conditions or
provisions of its charter or by-laws or any legal restriction,
or any material
agreement or instrument to which it is now a party or by which
it is bound, or
result in the violation of any law, rule, regulation, order,
judgment or decree
to which the Servicer or its property is subject. The execution,
delivery and
performance by the Servicer of this Assignment and the
consummation by it of the
transactions contemplated hereby, have been duly authorized by
all necessary
corporate action on the part of the Servicer. This Assignment
has been duly
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executed and delivered by the Servicer, and, upon the due
authorization,
execution and delivery by Assignor and Assignee, will constitute
the valid and
legally binding obligation of the Servicer, enforceable against
the Servicer in
accordance with its terms except as enforceability may be
limited by bankruptcy,
reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other similar laws now
or hereafter in
effect relating to creditors' rights generally, and by general
principles of
equity regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a
proceeding in
equity or at law;
(d) No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or
declaration, filing
or registration with, any governmental entity is required to be
obtained or made
by Assignee in connection with the execution, delivery or
performance by the
Servicer of this Assignment, or the consummation by it of the
transactions
contemplated hereby; and
(e) The Servicer shall establish a Collection Account and an
Escrow
Account, as described in the Servicing Agreement, in favor of
Assignee with
respect to the Mortgage Loans and which accounts are separate
from the
Collection Account and Escrow Account previously established
under the Merrill
Lynch Ops Guide in favor of MLCC.
6. The Servicer hereby acknowledges that Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
(the "Master
Servicer" and "Securities Administrator") has been appointed as
the master
servicer of the Mortgage Loans pursuant to the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement
(the "Pooling and Servicing Agreement"), dated as of July 1,
2007, among the
Assignee, HSBC Bank USA, National Association and Wells Fargo
Bank, N.A. as the
master servicer and securities administrator. The Servicer shall
deliver all
reports required to be delivered under the Merrill Lynch Ops
Guide and the
Servicing Agreement to:
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
9062 Old Annapolis Road
Columbia, Maryland 21045
Attention: Merrill Lynch Mortgage Backed Securities Trust,
Series 2007-3
Recognition of Assignee
7. From and after the date hereof the Servicer shall recognize
the Assignee as
owner of the Mortgage Loans, and acknowledges that the Mortgage
Loans will be
part of a REMIC. The Servicer will service the Mortgage Loans in
accordance with
the servicing provisions contained in the Servicing Agreement,
but in no event
in a manner that would (i) cause the REMIC to fail to qualify as
a REMIC or (ii)
result in the imposition of a tax upon the REMIC (including but
not limited to
the tax on prohibited transactions as defined in Section
860F(a)(2) of the Code
and the tax on contributions to a REMIC set forth in Section
860G(d) of the
Code). It is the intention of the Assignor, the Servicer and the
Assignee that
this Assignment shall be binding upon and for the benefit of the
respective
successors and assigns of the parties hereto. Neither the
Servicer nor the
Assignor shall amend or agree to amend, modify, waive, or
otherwise alter any of
the terms or provisions of the Merrill Lynch Ops Guide or the
Servicing
Agreement, which amendment, modification, waiver or other
alteration would in
any way affect the Mortgage Loans without the prior written
consent of the
Assignee.
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In addition, the Servicer hereby acknowledges that from and
after the date
hereof, the Mortgage Loans will be subject to the terms and
conditions of the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement pursuant to which the Master
Servicer has the
right to monitor the performance by the Servicer of its
servicing obligations
under the Servicing Agreement. Such right will include, without
limitation, the
right to terminate the Servicer under the Servicing Agreement
upon the
occurrence of an event of default thereunder, the right to
receive all
remittances required to be made by the Servicer under the
Servicing Agreement,
the right to receive all monthly reports and other data required
to be delivered
by the Servicer under the Servicing Agreement, the right to
examine the books
and records of the Servicer, indemnification rights, and the
right to exercise
certain rights of consent and approval relating to actions taken
by the
Servicer. In connection therewith, the Servicer hereby agrees to
make all
remittances required under the Servicing Agreement with respect
to the Mortgage
Loans to the Master Servicer for the benefit of the Assignee in
accordance with
the following wire transfer instructions:
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
ABA #121-000-248
Account Name: Corporate Trust Clearing
Account # 3970771416
For Further Credit to: MLMBS 2007-3, Account # 53168000
Applicable statements should be mailed to Wells Fargo Bank,
National
Association, 9062 Old Annapolis Road, Columbia, Maryland, 21045,
Attention:
Merrill Lynch Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series
2007-3.
A copy of all assessments, attestations, reports and
certifications
required to be delivered by the Servicer under this Assignment
and the Servicing
Agreement shall be delivered to the Master Servicer by the
date(s) specified
herein or therein, and where such documents are required to be
addressed to any
party, such addressees shall include the Master Servicer and the
Master Servicer
shall be entitled to rely on such documents.
It is the intention of the Assignor, the Servicer and the
Assignee that
this Assignment will be a separate and distinct servicing
agreement between the
Assignee and the Servicer, to the extent of the Mortgage Loans,
and shall be
binding upon and for the benefit of the respective successors
and assigns of the
parties hereto. Neither the Servicer nor the Assignor shall
amend or agree to
amend, modify, waive, or otherwise alter any of the terms or
provisions of the
Merrill Lynch Ops Guide or the Servicing Agreement which
amendment,
modification, waiver or other alteration would in any way affect
the Mortgage
Loans without the prior written consent of the Assignee.
Modification of the Servicing Agreement
8. The Servicer and the Assignor hereby amend the Servicing
Agreement as
follows:
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(a) The following definitions are added to Section 1.01:
Annual Independent Public Accountants' Servicing Report: A
report of a
firm of independent public accountants which is a member of
the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to the effect
that
such firm has examined certain documents and records relating to
the
servicing of the Mortgage Loans and that such firm is of the
opinion
that the provisions of this Agreement have been complied with,
and
that, on the basis of such examination conducted substantially
in
compliance with the Uniform Single Attestation Program for
Mortgage
Bankers, nothing has come to the attention of such firm which
would
indicate that such servicing has not been conducted in
compliance
therewith, except (i) such exceptions such firm shall believe to
be
immaterial, and (ii) such other exceptions as shall be set forth
in
such report. No Annual Independent Public Accountants'
Servicing
Report shall contain any provision restricting the use of such
report
by the Company, including any prohibition on the inclusion of
any such
report in any filing with the Commission.
Commission: The United States Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Closing Date: July 31, 2007.
Depositor: Merrill Lynch Mortgage Investors, Inc.
Exchange Act: The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
Fitch: Fitch, Inc., or its successors in interest.
Master Servicer: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. or its successors in
interest.
Moody's: Moody's Investors Service, Inc., or its successors
in
interest.
Prepayment Interest Shortfall: With respect to any Remittance
Date,
for each Mortgage Loan that was the subject of a Principal
Prepayment
in full during the related Monthly Period, an amount equal to
the
excess of one month's interest at the applicable Note Rate on
the
amount of such Principal Prepayment over the amount of
interest
(adjusted to the Note Rate) actually paid by the related
Mortgagor
with respect to such Monthly Period.
Purchaser: Merrill Lynch Mortgage Lending, Inc., or its
successors in
interest.
Regulation AB: Subpart 229.1100 -- Asset Backed Securities
(Regulation
AB), 17 C.F.R. Sections 229.1100-229.1123, as such may be
amended from
time to time, and subject to such clarification and
interpretation as
have been provided by the Commission in the adopting release
(Asset-Backed Securities, Securities Act Release No. 33-8518, 70
Fed.
Reg. 1,506, 1,531 (Jan. 7, 2005)) or by the staff of
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the Commission, or as may be provided by the Commission or its
staff
from time to time.
Relevant Servicing Criteria: as defined in Section 7A.05.
REMIC Provisions: The provisions of the federal income tax
law
relating to REMICs, which appear at Sections 860A through 860G
of the
Code, and related provisions and regulations promulgated
thereunder,
as the foregoing may be in effect from time to time.
Responsible Officer: means any vice president, any managing
director,
any director, any associate, any assistant vice president,
any
assistant secretary, any assistant treasurer or any other
officer or
employee of the Servicer customarily performing functions
similar to
those performed by any of the above designated officers and also
to
whom, with respect to a particular matter, such matter is
referred
because of such officer's or employee's knowledge of and
familiarity
with the particular subject and in each case who shall have
direct
responsibility for the administration of the Agreement.
S&P: Standard & Poor's Rating Services, a division of
The McGraw-Hill
Companies, or its successors in interest.
Securities Act: The Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Securities Administrator: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Servicer Information: As provided in Section 7A.07(a)(i)(A).
Servicing Criteria: The "servicing criteria" set forth in Item
1122(d)
of Regulation AB, as such may be amended from time to time.
Subcontractor: Any vendor, subcontractor or other Person that is
not
responsible for the overall servicing (as "servicing" is
commonly
understood by participants in the mortgage-backed securities
market)
of Mortgage Loans but performs one or more discrete material
functions
identified in Item 1122(d) of Regulation AB with respect to
Mortgage
Loans under the direction or authority of the Servicer or a
Subservicer.
Subservicer: Any Person that services Mortgage Loans on behalf
of the
Servicer or any Subservicer and is responsible for the
performance
(whether directly or through Subservicers or Subcontractors) of
a
substantial portion of the material servicing functions required
to be
performed by the Servicer under the Servicing Agreement or
this
Assignment that are identified in Item 1122(d) of Regulation
AB;
provided, however, that the term "Subservicer" shall not include
any
master servicer, or any special servicer engaged at the request
of the
Depositor, Assignor
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or investor, nor any "back-up servicer" or trustee
performing
servicing functions in connection with this Assignment or under
the
Purchase Sale and Servicing Agreement.
Trustee: HSBC Bank USA, National Association.
(b) The definition of Business Day is deleted in its entirety
and replaced
with the following:
"Business Day: Any day other than (i) a Saturday or Sunday, or
(ii) a day
on which the Federal Reserve is closed, or (iii) a day on which
banking
institutions in the jurisdiction in which the Master Servicer is
authorized or
obligated by law or executive order to be closed."
(c) The definition of Eligible Account is deleted in its
entirety and
replaced with the following:
"Eligible Account: Any of (i) a segregated account maintained
with a
federal or state chartered depository institution (A) the
short-term obligations
of which are rated A-1 or better by S&P and P-1 by Moody's
at the time of any
deposit therein or (B) the long term unsecured debt obligations
of which are
rated at least "AA-" by S&P and "A+" by Fitch (if so rated)
if the deposits are
to be held in the account more than 30 days; following a
downgrade, withdrawal,
or suspension of such institution's rating, each account should
promptly (and in
any case within not more than 60 calendar days) be moved to a
qualifying
institution or to one or more segregated trust accounts in the
trust department
of such institution, if permitted, (ii) a segregated trust
account or accounts
maintained with a federal or state chartered depository
institution or trust
company with trust powers acting in its fiduciary capacity or
(iii) a segregated
account or accounts of a depository institution acceptable to
the Rating
Agencies (as evidenced by a letter from each Rating Agency that
use of any such
account as the Collection Account will not have an adverse
effect on the
then-current ratings assigned to the Classes of the Certificates
then rated by
the Rating Agencies). Eligible Accounts may bear interest."
(d) The following is added as clause (10) to Section 5.04 of the
Servicing
Agreement:
"(10) with respect to each Principal Prepayment in full, any
Prepayment
Interest Shortfall, to the extent of the Servicer's aggregate
Servicing Fee
received with respect to the related Monthly Period."
(e) The following paragraphs are added after the second
paragraph of
Section 5.13 of the Servicing Agreement:
"Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the
Servicer
(a) shall not permit any modification with respect to any
Mortgage Loan that
would change the Mortgage Interest Rate and (b) shall not
(unless with respect
to clause (i) only, the Mortgagor is in default with respect to
the Mortgage
Loan or such default is, in the judgment of the Servicer,
reasonably
foreseeable) make or permit any modification, waiver or
amendment of any term of
any
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Mortgage Loan that would (i) effect an exchange or reissuance of
such Mortgage
Loan under Section 1001 of the Code (or Treasury regulations
promulgated
thereunder) or (ii) cause the Trust Fund to fail to qualify as a
REMIC under the
Code or the imposition of any tax on "prohibited transactions"
or
"contributions" after the startup date under the REMIC
Provisions.
Prior to taking any action with respect to the Mortgage Loans
which is not
contemplated under the terms of this Agreement, the Servicer
will obtain an
Opinion of Counsel acceptable to the Trustee to the effect that
such action will
not result in the imposition of a tax upon the REMIC (including
but not limited
to the tax on prohibited transactions as defined in Section
860F(a)(2) of the
Code and the tax on contributions to a REMIC set forth in
Section 860G(d) of the
Code) (either such event, an "Adverse REMIC Event"), and the
Servicer shall not
take any such action or cause the Trust Fund to take any such
action as to which
it has been advised that an Adverse REMIC Event will occur.
The Servicer shall not permit the creation of any "interests"
(within the
meaning of Section 860G of the Code) in the REMIC. The Servicer
shall not enter
into any arrangement by which the REMIC will receive a fee or
other compensation
for services nor permit the REMIC to receive any income from
assets other than
"qualified mortgages" as defined in Section 860G(a)(3) of the
Code or "permitted
investments" as defined in Section 860G(a)(5) of the Code.
Any REO Property shall be disposed of by the Servicer before the
close of
the third taxable year following the taxable year in which the
Mortgage Loan
became an REO Property, unless the Servicer is otherwise
directed by the
Assignee."
(f) The following sentence is added to the end of Section
6.01(1) of the
Servicing Agreement:
"Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, on each
Remittance Date,
the Servicer shall remit Payoffs, with interest as set forth
herein, collected
in the month prior to the Remittance Date."
(g) The following sentence is added to the end of the first
paragraph of
Section 6.02 of the Servicing Agreement:
"In addition, no later than the fifth (5th) calendar day of each
month (or
if such fifth day is not a Business Day, the Business Day
immediately following
such fifth day), the Servicer shall forward to the Master
Servicer a monthly
remittance advice in the form set forth in Exhibit C, a realized
loss report in
the form set forth in Exhibit D and a delinquency report in the
form set forth
in Exhibit E to the Assignment, Assumption and Recognition
Agreement, dated as
of July 1, 2007, among Merrill Lynch Mortgage Lending, Inc.,
Merrill Lynch
Mortgage Investors, Inc. and the Servicer, each in a mutually
agreeable
electronic format, or in such other format or, solely with
respect to Exhibit C
and Exhibit E, such other content, as mutually agreed to by the
Servicer and the
Master Servicer."
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(h) All references in Section 7.02 of the Servicing Agreement
to
"Purchaser" shall be deleted and replaced with "Purchaser or its
designee."
(i) Section 7.04 shall be deleted and replaced and marked
"[Reserved]."
(j) Section 7.05 shall be deleted, and marked "[Reserved]."
(k) The following phrase is added to Section 11.01(1) of the
Servicing
Agreement immediately before the word "hereof": "or in Section
11.01(4)."
(l) The following Subsection (4) is added to Section 11.01 of
the Servicing
Agreement:
"(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement,
the
Purchaser may elect to terminate this Agreement without cause
and without
payment to the Servicer of any penalty upon notice to
Servicer.
The Servicer acknowledges that in the event Wells Fargo Bank,
N.A. is
terminated as the Master Servicer under the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement,
dated as of July 1, 2007, among the Depositor, the Master
Servicer and the
Trustee, the Securities Administrator or successor master
servicer thereunder
has the option to terminate this Agreement and the rights of the
Servicer to
service the Mortgage Loans, without cause and without penalty or
payment of a
termination fee to the Servicer."
(m) The following shall be added as Section 12.12 of the
Servicing
Agreement:
"Third Party Beneficiary. For purposes of this Agreement, any
Master
Servicer shall be considered a third party beneficiary to this
Agreement
entitled to all the rights and benefits accruing to any Master
Servicer herein
as if it were a direct party to this Agreement."
(n) The following shall be inserted into the agreement as
Article 7A,
entitled "Compliance with Regulation AB":
Section 7A.01 Compliance with Regulation AB.
Each of the parties hereto acknowledges and agrees that the
purpose of this
Article 7A is to facilitate compliance by the Master Servicer
and the Depositor
with the provisions of Regulation AB, as such may be amended or
clarified from
time to time. Therefore, each of the parties agrees that the
parties'
obligations hereunder will be supplemented and modified as
necessary to be
consistent with any such amendments, interpretive advice or
guidance, convention
or consensus among active participants in the asset-backed
securities markets,
advice of counsel, or otherwise in respect of the requirements
of Regulation AB
and the parties shall comply with requests made by the Master
Servicer or
Depositor for delivery of additional or different information as
the Master
Servicer or Depositor may determine in good faith is necessary
to comply with
the provisions of Regulation AB. Any such supplementation or
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modification may result in a change in the reports filed by the
Securities
Administrator on behalf of the Issuing Entity under the Exchange
Act.
Section 7A.02 [Reserved].
Section 7A.03 Notices to be Provided by the Servicer.
(a) For the purpose of satisfying the reporting obligation under
the Exchange
Act with respect to any class of asset-backed securities, the
Servicer shall (or
shall cause each Subservicer to) (i) provide prompt notice to
any Master
Servicer and any Depositor in writing of (A) any material
litigation or
governmental proceedings involving the Servicer or any
Subservicer, (B) any
affiliations or relationships that develop following the Closing
Date between
the Servicer or any Subservicer and any of the sponsor, the
depositor, the
issuing entity, any servicer, any trustee, any originator, any
significant
obligor, any enhancement or support provider and any other
material transaction
party (and any other parties identified in writing by the
requesting party), (C)
any Event of Default under the terms of this Agreement or any
applicable
agreement, (D) any merger, consolidation or sale of
substantially all of the
assets of the Servicer, and (E) the Servicer's entry into an
agreement with a
Subservicer to perform or assist in the performance of any of
the Servicer's
obligations under this Agreement or any Reconstitution Agreement
and (ii)
provide to the Depositor a description of such proceedings,
affiliations or
relationships.
(b) As a condition to the succession to the Servicer or any
Subservicer as
servicer or subservicer under this Agreement or any
Reconstitution Agreement by
any Person (i) into which the Servicer or such Subservicer may
be merged or
consolidated, or (ii) which may be appointed as a successor to
the Servicer or
any Subservicer, the Servicer shall provide to any Master
Servicer, and the
Depositor, at least 15 calendar days prior to the effective date
of such
succession or appointment, (x) written notice to the Depositor
of such
succession or appointment and (y) in writing and in form and
substance
reasonably satisfactory to the Depositor, all information
reasonably requested
by the Depositor in order to comply with its reporting
obligation under Item
6.02 of Form 8-K with respect to any class of asset-backed
securities.
(c) In addition to such information as the Servicer, as
servicer, is obligated
to provide pursuant to other provisions of this Agreement, not
later than ten
days prior to the deadline for the filing of any distribution
report on Form
10-D, the Servicer or any Subservicer hired by the Servicer, as
applicable,
shall, to the extent the Servicer or such Subservicer has
knowledge, provide to
the Master Servicer notice of the occurrence of any of the
following events
along with all information, data, and materials related thereto
as may be
required to be included in the related distribution report on
Form 10-D (as
specified in the provisions of Regulation AB referenced
below):
(i) any material modifications, extensions or waivers of pool
asset
terms, fees, penalties or payments during the distribution
period or that
have cumulatively become material over time (Item 1121(a)(11) of
Regulation
AB);
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(ii) material breaches of pool asset representations or
warranties or
transaction covenants (Item 1121(a)(12) of Regulation AB);
and
(iii) information regarding new asset-backed securities
issuances
backed by the same pool assets, any pool asset changes (such as,
additions,
substitutions or repurchases), and any material changes in
origination,
underwriting or other criteria for acquisition or selection of
pool assets
(Item 1121(a)(14) of Regulation AB).
(d) The Servicer shall provide to the Purchaser, any Master
Servicer and any
Depositor, evidence of the authorization of the person signing
any certification
or statement, copies or other evidence of Fidelity Bond
Insurance and Errors and
Omission Insurance policy, financial information and reports,
and such other
information related to the Servicer or any Subservicer or the
Servicer or such
Subservicer's performance hereunder.
Section 7A.04 Servicer Compliance Statement.
Not later than March 1st for each calendar year (other than the
calendar
year during which the Closing Date occurs), the Servicer shall
deliver (or
otherwise make available) and the Servicer shall cause any
Subservicer or
Subcontractor engaged by it to deliver to the Master Servicer,
the Securities
Administrator and the Depositor an officer's certificate in the
form attached
hereto as Exhibit Z-1 stating, as to each signatory thereof,
that (i) a review
of the activities of such signatory during the preceding
calendar year, or
portion thereof, and of the performance of such signatory under
this Agreement
or such other applicable agreement in the case of a Subservicer
or Subcontractor
has been made under such officer's supervision, and (ii) to the
best of such
officer's knowledge, based on such review, such signatory has
fulfilled all its
obligations under this Agreement or such other applicable
agreement in all
material respects throughout such year or a portion thereof, or,
if there has
been a failure to fulfill any such obligation in any material
respect,
specifying each such failure known to such officer and the
nature and status
thereof.
Section 7A.05 Report on Assessment of Compliance and
Attestation.
(a) Not later than March 1st for each calendar year (other than
the calendar
year during which the Closing Date occurs) the Servicer at its
own expense,
shall furnish, and shall cause any Subservicer or Subcontractor
engaged by it to
furnish (unless in the case of a Subcontractor, the Servicer has
notified the
Depositor and the Master Servicer in writing that such
compliance statement is
not required for the Subcontractor) to the Master Servicer, the
Securities
Administrator and the Depositor an officer's assessment of its
compliance with
the Servicing Criteria applicable to each such party set forth
in Exhibit Y (the
"Relevant Servicing Criteria") during the preceding calendar
year as required by
Rules 13a-18 and 15d-18 of the Exchange Act and Item 1122 of
Regulation AB (the
"Assessment of Compliance"), which assessment (a form of which
is attached
hereto as Exhibit X) shall contain (A) a statement by such party
of its
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responsibility for assessing compliance with the Relevant
Servicing Criteria,
(B) a statement that such party used the Relevant Servicing
Criteria to assess
compliance with the Relevant Servicing Criteria, (C) such
party's assessment of
compliance with the Relevant Servicing Criteria as of and for
the fiscal year
covered by the most recent Form 10-K required to be filed in
connection with the
Merrill Lynch Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Series 2007-3,
including, if
there has been any material instance of noncompliance with the
Relevant
Servicing Criteria, a discussion of each such failure and the
nature and status
thereof, which assessment shall be based on the activities it
performs with
respect to asset-backed securities transactions taken as a whole
involving such
party that are backed by the same asset type as the Mortgage
Loans, and (D) a
statement that a registered public accounting firm has issued an
attestation
report on such party's assessment of compliance with the
Relevant Servicing
Criteria as of and for such period.
(b) Not later than March 1st for each calendar year (other than
the calendar
year during which the Closing Date occurs) the Servicer at its
own expense,
shall cause, and shall cause any Subservicer or Subcontractor
engaged by it to
cause (unless in the case of a Subcontractor, the Servicer has
notified the
Depositor and the Master Servicer in writing that such report is
not required
for the Subcontractor) a nationally or regionally recognized
firm of independent
registered public accountants (who may also render other
services to the
Servicer, the Master Servicer or any affiliate thereof) which is
a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to furnish a
report (the
"Accountant's Attestation") to the Mast
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