And, as the article suggests, it would appear that more than a few ABS servicing agreements allow for a some flexibility where modifications are concerned

I’m sure they do, but I suspect by modification, what the servicers and industry really mean is what happened to Ms. Rodriguez in referenced articles about the Mod Squad.

Call me a cynic, but what I see is pretty simple,

1. they’re giving the borrower 2 to 3 extra months to get their act together and pay the bill and penalities.

2. they’re refinancing a loan with 28 years left back into a new 30 year loan (if equity level warrents it)

3. they’re delaying the foreclosure to get their (the bank’s) act together for foreclosures.

AFAICT, loan modification really means line 1, which is literally just a couple extra months to suck it up and pay the bill.