New criteria from Fitch Ratings for rating non-agency mortgage-backed securities include provisions regarding due diligence grades and the deal agent position planned by some issuers. The criteria published this week include a “realignment” of items that result in C grades and D grades on mortgages reviewed by third-party due diligence firms. The changes include reviews for compliance with the Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ...

The $1.89 billion non-agency mortgage-backed security issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank in April looked promising for boosters of the non-agency MBS market. However, analysts at one of the firms that rated the deal suggest that a number of factors could limit other banks from following Chase’s lead. “Some banks are likely hesitant to securitize loan portfolios because securitizations could reduce return on equity at a time when banks are already struggling to meet ...

Bank and thrift holdings of non-agency mortgage-backed securities continue to decline on aggregate, mirroring the gradual drop in the amount of outstanding non-agency MBS. Banks and thrifts held $78.66 billion of non-agency MBS as of the end of the first quarter of 2016, according to a new ranking from the Inside Mortgage Finance Bank Mortgage Database. The holdings declined by 5.0 percent from the previous quarter and by ... [Includes one data chart]

Standard & Poor’s lost a little market share in the business of rating non-mortgage ABS during the first quarter of 2016, but the firm still was the most active player in the market, according to a new ranking by Inside MBS & ABS. S&P rated 58.4 percent of the $41.42 billion of non-mortgage ABS issued in early 2016, down from its 61.5 percent share for all of last year and its 64.1 percent share back in 2014. The company’s strong suit was in vehicle-finance ABS, where it rated 64.7 percent of the market, by dollar volume. While S&P’s share was up slightly in a few categories, its stake in the credit card ABS segment fell...[Includes two data tables]

A $1.98 billion non-agency MBS issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank in April prompted interest from a wide variety of industry participants, but other big banks appear unlikely to issue similar deals, according to analysts at Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s was one of the firms to place AAA ratings on Chase Mortgage Trust 2016-1. The deal was unique in that 74.0 percent of the 5,353 mortgages in the MBS were eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises. And it was...

Lone Star Funds is preparing to issue a $161.71 million nonprime mortgage-backed security that will close next week. COLT 2016-1 Mortgage Loan Trust received an A rating from DBRS and Fitch Ratings. The deal marks the first nonprime MBS backed by new originations to receive a rating since the financial crisis. It will also be the largest post-crisis nonprime MBS issued to date, topping a $150.35 million MBS from Angel Oak Capital Advisors in December. Officials at Fitch Ratings said ...

A $412.66 million jumbo mortgage-backed security planned by a unit of JPMorgan Chase received high marks from rating services save for the representations-and-warranty framework on the MBS. Presale reports on JPMorgan Mortgage Trust 2016-1 were published last week, with AAA ratings from DBRS, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service. Some 15 lenders contributed to the planned MBS, led by New Penn Financial with a 19.7 percent share, Primary Capital Mortgage ...

The average daily trading volume in agency MBS climbed to $215.9 billion in May, the highest reading of the year, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. But don’t get too excited. May’s activity is still below the two-year high established in January 2015 and nowhere near the peaks established back in 2008 when crumbling financial markets caused investors to go gaga for agency MBS. The relatively low daily trading volumes continue...

A new jumbo MBS from Redwood Trust will mark the second non-agency MBS to include mortgages subject to the TRID mortgage disclosure rule. The real estate investment trust plans to issue a $344.89 million deal next week, according to a presale report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency. The rating service said 366 mortgages, accounting for 74.8 percent of the loan pool, are subject to the combined Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act rule. Redwood will issue...

The nonagency, nonprime MBS market continues to generate plenty of interest among mortgage professionals, but the number of securities being generated – and contemplated – remains small. The situation isn’t likely to change anytime soon, but there are developments on the horizon that could spur an increase in issuance. According to interviews conducted by Inside MBS & ABS, the number of investors interested in buying nonprime whole loans is increasing. So far, the primary attraction is the higher yield offered by these non-Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac and FHA loans. Last year, roughly $2 billion in nonprime loans were originated...