Commercial banks and savings institutions continued their buying spree in the MBS market during the fourth quarter of 2015, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. Banks and thrifts held a record $1.644 trillion of residential MBS in their available-for-sale and held-to-maturity portfolios as of the end of last year. That was up 2.2 percent from the third quarter and represented a 6.8 percent gain over 12 months. All of the increase came...[Includes two data tables]
Morningstar Credit Ratings changed the way it rates residential MBS to allow credit for mortgage insurance. After getting a number of inquiries about the use of mortgage insurance in new MBS, the firm said it decided to enhance its methodology to provide a clearer framework for how the ratings agency approaches mortgage insurance. While mortgage insurance does not necessarily affect a borrower’s probability of default, it may decrease loss severities, according to Morningstar. “Our methodology now gives credit to mortgage insurance in some cases up to the AAA ratings level,” said Brian Grow, managing director of RMBS for Morningstar. “MI’s potential impact on default is...
Utilizing a sophisticated analytical capability to assess end-to-end profitability of products, channels and operating units and better manage the economics and risks of the portfolio can provide a powerful boost to mortgage servicing operations – and some of the most intelligently run organizations are already reaping the rewards of doing so, according to a recent white paper by PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Today, many companies rely on general ledger reporting and ...
The CEO noted that Freddie Mac has made great inroads in doing more business with small to medium-sized lenders, but also said that when it comes to the GSE’s credit box, “it is not being fully used” by the industry.
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