Agency MBS market recovering after dismal 2022; KBRA generally plans to decline reviewing RAC requests tied to switches from LIBOR to term SOFR in the commercial MBS market.

Even though the upfront fee Fannie and Freddie impose on commingled securities has been sharply reduced, some industry watchers argue that it has permanently damaged the market for Supers and REMICs.

Sophisticated pricing models for agency MBS, like the Bloomberg MBS Index, are subject to various sorts of model error. Experts say it takes an expert to know how to use them.

The GSEs’ social disclosures should be as granular and specific as those reported for credit-risk transfer deals, according to investors.

While agency MBS trading typically slows towards the end of the year, the average daily volume of trades in December 2022 was the lowest on record since the beginning of 2020. Banks are showing weak demand for the securities.

With lenders pushing mortgages that include a temporary buydown feature, MBS investors are pondering prepayment behavior for the loans. Expect loans with temporary buydowns to exhibit prepayment speeds similar to ARMs, according to an industry analyst.

Fees associated with MBS trades and other services provided by the Fixed Income Clearing Corp. increased Jan. 1. The FICC said the fee hike was necessary due to lower revenues and higher expenses.

Commercial banks and the Federal Reserve pulled back from the MBS market in the third quarter, but the supply of outstanding securities continued to grow. Money-market funds and other investors appear to be picking up some of the slack. (Includes two data charts.)

Investors appear increasingly reluctant to sell their credit-risk transfer notes back to the enterprises at the prices Fannie and Freddie are offering.

Despite rising rates and volatility, mortgage REITs reported a small gain in their retained agency MBS holdings. The industry’s aggregate TBA position was lower, as was non-agency MBS investment. (Includes data chart.)