GSE recap-and-release work will generate millions of dollars in fees for the lucky advisory firms. In a few weeks, the FHFA is expected to announce its counsel.

While the Fed was shrinking its agency MBS portfolio by $54.5 billion during the third quarter, commercial banks increased theirs by $56.2 billion and money managers added $23.8 billion. (Includes two data charts.)

Federal regulators are set to review standards of a final rule requiring sponsors of securitization transactions to retain risk in those deals.

Issuance could increase by about 2%, helped by strong demand from investors for vehicle ABS. Loan performance, however, is expected to slip, according to industry analysts.

A U.S. District Court has denied the Swiss bank’s motion to dismiss a legacy MBS lawsuit filed by the government last year.

Thirteen major financial institutions have agreed to pay a combined $337 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit accusing their trading desks of engaging in a price-fixing scheme for Fannie and Freddie debt.

New York’s six-year statute of limitation for breach of rep-and-warranty claims in RMBS does not raise investor risk significantly if the deal comes with full, upfront third-party due diligence.

Performance of collateralized loan obligations is expected to weaken next year with increasing collateral defaults and slowing new issuance.

November was a so-so month for MBS trading as investors dumped bonds and bought stocks. Still, lending is strong, which should bode well for the creation of new agency securities.