Bank and thrift holdings of non-mortgage ABS hit a record $184.16 billion at the end of September, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS ranking and analysis. That represented a significant 7.6 percent increase in bank ABS investment in just one quarter. But the sharp increase in industry holdings was fueled by a massive acquisition of credit card ABS by TD Bank, the U.S. operation of the Canadian-based Toronto-Dominion Bank. TD Bank reported...[Includes one data chart]

The odds are stacked against auto loan ABS issuers being able to significantly lower the amount of credit risk they have to retain in securitizations under the recently adopted risk-retention rule. That’s mostly because of the strict underwriting criteria for underlying loans to qualify for the exemption from the requirement, according to a new ABS research report from Moody’s Investors Service. “Under the final risk-retention rule of the Dodd-Frank Act, auto loan ABS issuers can reduce the financial interest they must retain in their transactions through a qualifying automobile loan (QAL) exemption,” explained report authors Jeffrey Hibbs, assistant vice president, and Henry Chen, an associate analyst. Issuers can put...[Includes one data chart]

Two large banks got a break recently as the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to grant penalty relief to one bank while a New York federal judge dismissed certain claims against the second bank because they were overly speculative. In the first case, the SEC cleared the way for Bank of America to close a $16.7 billion global settlement after SEC commissioners voted to waive additional sanctions that would have taken effect when the settlement is entered into court, according to a report by Bloomberg. The commission agreed...

The most significant blockages to the return of a healthy and sustainable non-agency residential MBS market in the United States are low volume issuance, regulation, weak AAA demand and missing structural reforms, according to top market professionals. “What’s holding back the recovery?” asked Rui Pereira, managing director at Fitch Ratings, during a panel discussion at a residential MBS reform symposium sponsored by the Structured Finance Industry Group and Information Management Network in New York City earlier this month. “Other sectors have rebounded and we’re starting to see new asset classes emerge. And yet, we’re seeing very little momentum in our market. So the question is, what’s stalling the RMBS recovery?” In the run-up to the discussion, Pereira polled...

Banks may be forced to sell mortgage servicing rights in bulk or on a flow basis if Basel III doesn't go their way.

Although Bank of America has been dumping MSRs aggressively over the past two years, its subprime servicing portfolio has declined at a gradual pace.

However, the rule is not clear on how many times this could occur over the life of the mortgage.

Prior to FHFA’s new directive, Fannie and Freddie required homeowners who have been through foreclosure and want to buy their home back to pay the entire amount owed on the mortgage.

Another new entrant to the nonprime space is Garrison Investment Group, a private equity firm that late last month bought Hilco Real Estate Finance.

But did anyone really think the FHFA was going to reduce the GSE loan limits? Really…