Banks and rating services have strong concerns regarding proposed revisions to the Basel securitization framework that would impact capital requirements for securities holdings. They warn that the proposal would discourage banks from participating in the securitization markets.In December, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision proposed a revised securitization framework it said would make capital requirements more prudent and risk sensitive, mitigate reliance on external credit ratings and reduce the so-called cliff effects in capital requirements. The BCBS proposed two possible hierarchies for assigning capital, enhancements to current ratings-based approaches, and new approaches.

A federal judge this week tentatively dismissed most of the claims the National Credit Union Administration filed against Goldman Sachs regarding non-agency mortgage-backed securities. U.S. District Judge George Wu determined that the NCUA’s complaint was untimely unless the federal regulator could prove otherwise, according to an analysis by the Credit Union National Association. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a preliminary list of counties exempt – in certain circumstances ... [Includes two briefs]

A federal employee union and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have agreed to implement a seven-day employee furlough because of a severe mandatory reduction in HUD’s budget in FY 2013. The seven furlough days, which also will affect FHA operations, will apply to HUD’s entire 9,100-person work force and will be spread out to one for each pay period beginning May 24. HUD initially proposed a 13-day furlough plan, which was to start May 10, but agreed to reduce it to seven days and to move the start date to May 24. Under an agreement between HUD and the American Federation of Government Employees Council 222, furlough days will occur on ...

Streamline refinancing helped boost FHA origination volume as lenders reported substantial increases on monthly and year-over-year bases, according to Inside FHA Lending’s latest analysis of FHA data. Despite increases in mortgage insurance premium and other policy changes aimed at reducing FHA market share and strengthening the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, FHA endorsements were up 18.7 percent in January 2013 from December 2012, and a hefty 38.7 percent from January last year. However, FHA refis accounted for 54.3 percent of total production while purchase mortgages made up ... [1 chart]

Ginnie Mae servicing volume was up modest 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 9.1 percent higher from the previous year, with some eye-popping increases reported by several servicers. The top servicers of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities reported $1.31 trillion in government-backed mortgage debt outstanding in the fourth quarter, up from $1.29 trillion from the previous quarter. Wells Fargo led the pack with $407.2 billion after posting gains on a quarterly and year-over-year basis while second-place Bank of America recorded a total of ... [1 chart]

Most mortgage banking firms – both bank and nonbanks alike – have been posting record profits over the past year, creating the pleasant problem of what to do with all that cash. According to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Finance over the past few weeks, certain nonbank owners have been taking cash out of their companies, using the money to pay hefty tax bills. Others have been leaving money in the company and searching for ways to shelter income. One way to do that, according to some tax experts, is to retain originated servicing rights. This is...

The available supply of residential MBS grew marginally during the fourth quarter of last year as the agency market grew enough to offset the ongoing decline in outstanding non-agency MBS, according to a new analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. The supply of single-family agency MBS increased by $48.1 billion during the fourth quarter, a 0.9 percent increase over the three-month period. The Federal Reserve gobbled up all the increase and then some; its total agency MBS holdings rose by $91.6 billion during the fourth quarter, an 11.0 percent increase from the previous period. Mutual funds appeared to hold...[Includes two data charts]

Mary Jo White, the nominee to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission, said this week that enforcement actions against Wall Street firms and implementation of rules relating to credit ratings will be two of her many priorities if she is confirmed as head of the SEC. Industry analysts suggest that the Senate will easily confirm her nomination. “At the SEC, there’s no institution too big to charge,” White said at a hearing this week by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. The comment was...

The U.S. Supreme Court last week unanimously decided a securities fraud case that could cause the Securities and Exchange Commission to act sooner rather than later in bringing enforcement actions against MBS fraud. In Gabelli et al. v. Securities and Exchange Commission, SCOTUS ruled that in an SEC action to recover civil penalties, the five-year statute of limitations begins ticking when the fraud occurs, not when it is discovered. Reversing an opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, SCOTUS rejected...

Redwood Trust recently came to market with a $287.5 million convertible debt offering which was snatched up by investors – a sign that not only is the real estate investment trust doing well with its jumbo securitization business, but other mortgage issuers might meet similar results if they need to borrow money in the capital markets. Mike McMahon, a managing director at the company, told Inside MBS & ABS that the jumbo issuer decided to tap the debt market as “a way to support our investment activity for 2013. If we securitize $7 billion and retain the subs, we will need capital.” Redwood hopes...