An SEC committee hosted a panel discussion in November regarding the compensation model for rating services. The regulator hasn't made a decision on whether reforms are needed to the issuer-pays model.

FSOC continues to focus on the risk posed by nonbanks, which are key players in the MBS market. But is the regulator worrying too much? Opinions differ.

Former Freddie Mac CEO Don Layton takes a look at the GSE UMBS project and likes what he sees. Mission accomplished? Just about.

The SFA is eyeing changes to its due diligence review standards. Meanwhile, REITs are awash in cash like never before.

Late last month, a Manhattan district court judge denied a plaintiff investor's motion to hire experts to perform statistical sampling analysis in a case involving legacy MBS.

Since 2006, only one rated whole business securitization has defaulted. Investors in the deals are protected by various features, including a model that isn't particularly reliant on issuer profits.

The founder and CEO of Premium Point Investments, New York, was sentenced to 50 months in prison for overvaluing by $100 million the value of securities his hedge fund had invested in.

Investors in some prime non-agency MBS are taking losses even though loans in the deals are performing well. The red ink is tied to variable servicing fees and high prepayment rates.

Provident Funding is set to issue a non-agency MBS with standard mortgages eligible for sale to the GSEs. An affiliate of Cerberus is also planning a relatively large deal backed by seasoned mortgages.