The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization released its private-label residential MBS specifications, aimed at making it easier for ratings services to review MBS.

A-paper nonbanks searching for an origination life raft have discovered second liens. And now some top-ranked non-QM shops are ready to enter the arena, like Angel Oak.

The new connections and funding are designed to make the loan trading platform available to more sellers, particularly those that focus on agency business.

A proposal from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners gives NAIC wide discretion in assessing ratings on MBS and ABS.

A suggestion for limiting interest rate risk at banks; tighter spreads for Fannie’s new CRT; Victory Park Capital launches structured finance unit; and more.

The Bank Term Funding Program has issued more than $100 billion in outstanding funding tied to agency MBS and Treasury securities held by banks.

SEC staff are considering revisions to a proposed rule that would prohibit conflicts of interest in the securitization market. But the agency reportedly won’t budge on some portions of the rule.

It’s starting to look like a boom of sorts in the securitization of second mortgages, especially with JPMorgan taking a keen interest.

The rounding of home prices in HMDA data complicates the calculation of whether loans below the conforming loan limits are more likely to be securitized into agency MBS in areas affected by climate change.

Most impacted securities have already made the transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate. S&P expects the LIBOR Act will minimize the risk on the remainder.