The supply of single-family MBS outstanding in the market declined again in the first quarter of 2011, hitting its lowest level since the third quarter of 2007, according to an Inside MBS & ABS analysis of new agency data. Single-family MBS totaled $6.564 trillion as of the end of March, down 0.4 percent from the end of 2010. The single-family MBS market peaked in the third quarter of 2009 at $6.981 trillion and has been in steady decline since then. That’s largely because the supply of home loan debt has been declining since early 2008 as house values have eroded, cash-out refinance activity has...[includes one data chart]

The Federal Housing Finance Agency last week issued a final rule regarding the FHLBanks which limits the Banks’ mortgage-backed securities holdings, especially non-agency MBS. In its notice, published in the May 20 Federal Register, the FHFA said it is re-organizing and re-adopting existing investment regulations that were previously issued by the Federal Housing Finance Board. The final rule will retain the Finance Board’s Financial Management Policy provision limiting MBS holdings to 300 percent of a Bank’s capital. “Contrary to suggestions that the 300 percent of capital limit was inflexible and outdated, FHFA believes the limit reasonably serves to control Bank investment activity that does not...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities remained a preferred investment for the Federal Home Loan Banks during the first quarter of 2011 with only a negligible decrease from the previous quarter, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside The GSEs based on data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.Meanwhile, Ginnie Mae securities continued to grow in popularity within the FHLBank system during the first three months of this year. GSE MBS still accounted for 66.7 percent of combined FHLBank MBS portfolios. The Finance Agency’s data do not separately break out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac volume or share. Ginnie MBS grew by... [Includes one data chart]

U.S. banks are generally more liquid than Basel III liquidity standards would suggest thanks in large part to the treatment of banks' large portfolios of GSE-related securities, according to Fitch Ratings.