Residential mortgage securitization rates edged higher in the third quarter of 2018 but remained below the peak levels set in the aftermath of the financial crisis. [Includes one data chart.]

The supply of single-family non-agency MBS continued to decline in the third quarter of 2018, but the sector may be nearing a turnaround point, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis of outstanding mortgage securities. [Includes two data charts.]

Prices for seasoned performing whole loans declined slightly during the third quarter, according to MountainView Financial Solutions. The secondary market for performing/re-performing whole loans has been “extremely active” this year, according to the firm’s residential whole-loan trading desk and transaction advisory teams.

The average daily trading volume in agency MBS fell to $206.4 billion during November, the worst reading since August and the third lowest of the year, according to figures compiled by the Se-curities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Prepayment speeds for recently issued Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac MBS in the to-be-announced market were closely aligned during the third quarter, according to a new report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Despite a robust economy, retailers are still floundering in a shifting business environment. Recent bankruptcy filings and store closures by retailers are posing risks to certain commercial MBS, according to several reports.

This week, Ginnie Mae issued an all-participants memo dictating new standards for firms seeking to become issuers, including the stipulation that applicants submit to a corporate credit evaluation. Ginnie said the financial exercise will be “similar to those employed by credit rating agencies.” The evaluation will determine whether an applicant is qualified to be an issuer or whether additional criteria should be imposed even if the basic standards are met. Applicants that rely on a subservicer arrangement will be scrutinized even more. The bulletin also notes that, effective immediately, the agency is implementing new notification requirements for MBS issuers engaged in “certain subservicer advance or servicing income agreements, which do not require prior Ginnie Mae approval, but can impact an issuer’s ongoing liquidity position and financial obligations.” While Ginnie currently permits subservicers to advance ...

Increasingly worried about the financial condition of its largest nonbank issuers amid declining market conditions, Ginnie Mae in late October shot off a liquidity letter to 14 companies, asking them to develop contingency plans. The identity of the firms was not revealed to Inside FHA/VA Lending, but it’s no secret which companies rank among the top echelon of issuer/servicers. The five largest nonbank Ginnie MBS servicers as of Sept. 30 are PennyMac Financial Services, Lakeview Loan Servicing, Freedom Mortgage, Quicken Loans and Mr. Cooper. According to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by this publication, Ginnie wants the companies to develop strategies to right-size their operations. One of the agency’s goals is to lay the groundwork for financial stress tests that all issuer/servicers eventually must meet. Ginnie expects to sit down with the executive management teams of the ...

The average daily trading volume in agency MBS increased to $222.7 billion in October, the best reading since June, according to figures compiled by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Ginnie Mae officials would welcome a return of commercial banks to the program, but they are not planning on it. Instead, the agency is looking the other way: at expanding financing options for nonbank portfolios of mortgage servicing rights. The current version of Ginnie’s acknowledgement agreement has been successful, enabling nonbank servicers to arrange MSR financing for virtually their entire portfolios, said Michael Drayne, a senior vice president at Ginnie, during the Residential Mortgage Finance Symposium sponsored by the Structured Finance Industry Group this week in New York. Although a number of banks are financing nonbank servicing portfolios, many are still not participating, he said. Karen Gelernt, a partner at Alston & Bird, noted that many banks continue to have anxiety about what will happen if a servicer defaults on its Ginnie requirements. Speaking as moderator on a panel with ...