SERVICER APPOINTMENT,
ASSUMPTION AND
AMENDMENT
AGREEMENT
THIS SERVICER APPOINTMENT, ASSUMPTION AND
AMENDMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of
January 2, 2007, is by and among Nomura Home Equity Loan, Inc., as
depositor (the “Depositor”), Nomura Credit &
Capital, Inc., as seller (in such capacity, the
“Sponsor”), Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as
servicer (“Wells Fargo”), Wells Fargo Bank, National
Association, as master servicer (the “Master Servicer”)
and securities administrator (the “Securities
Administrator”), and HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as
trustee (the “Trustee”).
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the
Depositor, the Sponsor, the Master Servicer, the Securities
Administrator, GMAC Mortgage, LLC (“GMACM”) and the
Trustee entered into the Pooling and Servicing Agreement (the
“Pooling and Servicing Agreement”), dated as of October
1, 2006, relating to Nomura Home Equity Loan, Inc., Asset Backed
Certificates, Series 2006-AF1;
WHEREAS,
pursuant to Section 7.06 of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement,
the Sponsor has the right to terminate GMACM as Servicer of the
Mortgage Loans set forth on Schedule 1 attached hereto (the
“Transferred Mortgage Loans”) without cause upon the
satisfaction of certain conditions set forth in the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Depositor and the Sponsor desire to
amend certain provisions of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement to
better effectuate the replacement of GMACM as the Servicer
thereunder with respect to the Transferred Mortgage
Loans;
WHEREAS,
Section 11.01 of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement provides that
the Pooling and Servicing Agreement may be amended from time to
time by the parties thereto, without the consent of any of the
Certificateholders to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement
any provisions therein, to change the manner in which the
Distribution Account maintained by the Securities Administrator or
the Custodial Accounts maintained by the Servicer is maintained or
to make such other provisions with respect to matters or questions
arising under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement as shall not be
inconsistent with any other provisions therein if such action shall
not, as evidenced by an Opinion of Counsel, adversely affect in any
material respect the interests of any Certificateholder (or the
Swap Provider unless the Swap Provider shall have consented to the
amendment, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld);
provided that any such amendment shall be deemed not to adversely
affect in any material respect the interests of the
Certificateholders and no such Opinion of Counsel shall be required
if the Person requesting such amendment obtains a letter from each
Rating Agency stating that such amendment would not result in the
downgrading or withdrawal of the respective ratings then assigned
to the Certificates; provided further that any such amendment shall
be deemed not to adversely affect in any material respect the
interests of the Certificateholders and no such Opinion of Counsel
nor any letter from the Rating Agencies stating that such amendment
would not result in the downgrading or withdrawal of the respective
ratings then assigned to the Certificates shall be required if such
amendment is to effect a transfer of servicing pursuant to Section
7.06(a) of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement to a Successor
Servicer satisfying the Minimum Servicing Requirements;
NOW, THEREFORE,
for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged, and of the mutual covenants herein
contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1.
Defined Terms.
For purposes of
this Agreement, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, all
capitalized terms which are used but not otherwise defined herein
shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
SECTION 2.
Appointment of Servicer.
(a)
The Sponsor hereby proposes that
Wells Fargo be appointed as the Servicer under the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement with respect to the Transferred Mortgage Loans
and, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions precedent set
forth in Section 5 of this Agreement, the Sponsor will provide
written notification to GMACM of its termination as the Servicer
under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement with respect to the
Transferred Mortgage Loans to be effective on January 2, 2007 (the
“Termination Date”).
(b)
In connection with the appointment
of Wells Fargo as the Servicer of the Transferred Mortgage Loans
under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, on the Termination Date,
the Sponsor shall cause Wells Fargo to reimburse GMACM for all
outstanding Advances and Servicing Advances due and owing to GMACM
under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement in connection with
GMACM’s servicing and administration of the Transferred
Mortgage Loans prior to the Termination Date.
(c)
The Master Servicer, subject to the
satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 5 of
this Agreement, consents to the appointment of Wells Fargo as the
Servicer under the Pooling and Servicing Agreement hereby
designates Wells Fargo as the Servicer of the Transferred Mortgage
Loans from and after the Termination Date.
(d)
Wells Fargo hereby represents and
warrants, as of the date hereof, that it (i) is a Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac approved seller/servicer in good standing and has a net
worth of at least $15,000,000; (ii) meets all requirements of a
servicer set forth in Section 8.02 of the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement, (iii) accepts the appointment as the Servicer of the
Transferred Mortgage Loans under the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement, (iii) assumes and agrees to discharge the due and
punctual performance and observance of each covenant and condition
to be performed and observed by the Servicer under the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement, as amended hereby, and (iv) assumes and
agrees, as of the date hereof, to be bound by all terms and
conditions of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement, as amended
hereby.
(e)
On the Termination Date, each
account that, pursuant to the terms of the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement, is required to be established and maintained by GMACM
with respect to the Transferred Mortgage Loans shall be moved to
and maintained by Wells Fargo at Wells Fargo. This Agreement shall
be deemed to satisfy any and all requirements in the Pooling and
Servicing Agreement for notice of change in any such
account.
SECTION 3.
Amendments to Pooling and Servicing Agreement.
(a) Article 1 of the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following definitions in
alphabetical order:
“ Wells Fargo : Wells Fargo Bank,
National Association, acting in its capacity as the
Servicer.”
“Wells Fargo Mortgage Loans
: Those Mortgage Loans serviced by
Wells Fargo pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement
and identified as such on the Mortgage Loan
Schedule.”
(b) The definition of Servicer in Article 1 of the
Pooling and Servicing Agreement is hereby amended by replacing
“GMAC Mortgage Corporation” with “Wells Fargo
Bank, National Association.”
(c) Each reference in the Pooling and Servicing
Agreement to “GMACM Mortgage Loans” is hereby deemed to
be a reference to “Wells Fargo Mortgage
Loans.”
(d) The following representations and warranties are
hereby made by Wells Fargo to the Sponsor, the Depositor, the
Master Servicer, the Securities Administrator and the Trustee as of
the date hereof and such representations and warranties shall
replace the representations and warranties of GMACM set forth in
Section 2.03(a) of the Pooling and Servicing Agreement:
(i) It is duly organized and is validly existing
and in good standing under the laws of the United States and is
duly authorized and qualified to transact any and all business
contemplated by this Agreement to be conducted by it in any state
in which a Mortgaged Property is located or is otherwise not
required under applicable law to effect such qualification and, in
any event, is in compliance with the doing business laws of any
such state, to the extent necessary to ensure its ability to
service the Mortgage Loans in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement and to perform any of its other obligations under this
Agreement in accordance with the terms hereof.
(ii) It has the full corporate power and authority
to service each Mortgage Loan, and to execute, deliver and perform,
and to enter into and consummate the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement and has duly authorized by all necessary corporate
action on its part the execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement; and this Agreement, assuming the due authorization,
execution and delivery hereof by the other parties hereto,
constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable
against it in accordance with its terms, except that (a) the
enforceability hereof may be limited by the effect of insolvency,
liquidation, conservatorship and other similar laws administered by
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation affecting the enforcement
of contract obligations of insured banks and (b) the remedy of
specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable
relief may be subject to equitable defenses and to the discretion
of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought
and further subject to public policy with respect to indemnity and
contribution under applicable securities law.
(iii) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by
it, the servicing of the Mortgage Loans by it under this Agreement,
the consummation of any other of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement, and the fulfillment of or compliance with the terms
hereof are in its ordinary course of business and will not (A)
result in a material breach of any term or provision of its charter
or by-laws or (B) materially conflict with, result in a material
breach, violation or acceleration of, or result in a material
default under, the terms of any other material agreement or
instrument to which it is a party or by which it may be bound, or
(C) constitute a material violation of any statute, order or
regulation applicable to it of any court, regulatory body,
administrative agency or governmental body having jurisdiction over
it; and it is not in breach or violation of any material indenture
or other material agreement or instrument, or in violation of any
statute, order or regulation of any court, regulatory body,
administrative agency or governmental body having jurisdiction over
it which breach or violation may materially impair its ability to
perform or meet any of its obligations under this
Agreement.
(iv) It is an approved servicer of conventional
mortgage loans for Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and is a mortgagee
approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development pursuant
to sections 203 and 211 of the National Housing Act.
(v) No litigation is pending or, to the best of its
knowledge, threatened in writing, against it that would materially
and adversely affect the execution, delivery or enforceability of
this Agreement or its ability to service the Mortgage Loans or to
perform any of its other obligations under this Agreement in
accordance with the terms hereof.
(vi) No consent, approval, authorization or order of
any court or governmental agency or body is required for its
execution, delivery and performance of, or compliance with, this
Agreement or the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby, or if any such consent, approval, authorization or order is
required, it has obtained the same.
(vii) Wells Fargo has accurately and fully reported,
and will continue to accurately and fully report, its borrower
credit files to each of the credit repositories in a timely manner
materially in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and its
implementing legislation.
(viii) Wells Fargo is a member of