Freddie Mac is developing an exchange path in preparation for the single security initiative that will combine the Freddie and Fannie Mae markets into one Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security. To make that transition easier for the June 2019 single security launch, Freddie teamed up with Tradeweb to create a simple, standardized transaction entry point to submit valid legacy MBS for exchange. The platform will also accept float compensation and choose a settlement date. Investors will be able to request exchanges through their order management systems integration with Tradeweb or enter them directly into Tradeweb. The platform will provide a direct-to-Freddie path for...

As an industry, real estate investment trusts managed to boost their holdings of residential MBS during the second quarter of 2018, but many firms were unable to build their portfolios, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis of earnings reports from publicly traded REITs. [Includes one data chart.]

The Federal Housing Finance Agency this week moved to further cement its existing policies that require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to move in lockstep on matters that affect MBS prepayment speeds as a federal regulation.

In anticipation of the single-security launch in June 2019, Freddie Mac is working on exchange paths to make the transition from two markets to one go much more smoothly.

SG Capital Partners, a boutique investment banking firm chock full of former Goldman Sachs executives, has launched a new wholesale lender to originate non-qualified mortgages, most of which will wind up in MBS deals.

Federal regulators should issue regulations that would help banks sell loans and maintain the marketplace lending business model, according to lawyers representing the financial institutions. It’s not every day that lenders seek federal regulation, but preemption of state regulations and unfavorable court rulings can prompt calls for help.

If Rep. Jeb Hensarling’s new housing finance reform bill becomes law, the common securitization platform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the “disclosure framework from Common Securitization Solutions” will be transferred into a private, nonprofit corporation or “exchange.”

With nonbanks dominating Ginnie Mae’s single-family MBS program, liquidity is an important factor in the issuance and servicing of Ginnie MBS and has been the agency’s focus in recent years.

Securitizations of residential property assessed clean energy assessments are performing better than projections made by Kroll Bond Rating Agency when issuance started four years ago, according to the rating service. Meanwhile, predicting prepayment rates remains difficult, KBRA noted in a report released late last week.

Increasing use of smart building technologies such as the internet-of-things can benefit commercial real estate, and thus bring meaningful impact to commercial MBS, said DBRS.