US resumes paying fees to JP Morgan, BofA

The Obama administration on Friday said it has agreed to release withheld incentive payments to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. after it found that both big banks have "substantially" improved their performance in a mortgage assistance program. "In the case of J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, NA and Bank of America, NA, this quarter's assessments found that both servicers had improved their practices," the Treasury said in a report. J.P. Morgan Chase JPM +0.47% and Bank of America BAC +0.55% haven't been receiving fees from a mortgage assistance program known as the Making Home Affordable Program that seeks to help troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure. The big banks have been broadly criticized for foreclosure documentation errors.