Actions by the Federal Reserve are helping to reduce volatility in the agency MBS market. Investors are comfortable with current conditions, with supply and demand seen as being in balance.
Obstacles like how to deal with the implicit guarantee and excessively high capital requirements make it unlikely that the GSEs will exit conservatorship under Trump, though the chances are higher than before his election.
The debate over how to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hinges on whether rating services would downgrade the GSEs if they exit without an explicit government guarantee.
The settlement includes $19.4 million in disgorgement of profits the SEC said BMO generated between December 2020 and May 2023 through misleading sales of agency CMOs.
TRACE trade data on non-agency CMOs isn’t released until 18 months after the transaction, leaving customers at the mercy of dealers when it comes to pricing information.
Critics argue that, if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are released from conservatorship without an explicit government guarantee, MBS investors will demand wider spreads to cover the added credit risk.
Interest rate cuts by the Fed prior to the 2023 banking crisis resulted in more than $2 trillion in mark-to-market losses on banks' Treasury and MBS holdings.
Most REITs reported substantial increases in their agency MBS holdings during the third quarter, although a few firms pulled back. Non-agency MBS were up slightly; MSR declined.
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