Increased demand for non-agency MBS and pricing policies set by the government-sponsored enterprises are prompting some lenders to deliver high-quality GSE-eligible mortgages into non-agency MBS pools. If the trend persists, GSE MBS investors could face risks from adverse selection, according to industry analysts.
A key Treasury Department official said regulatory reform could help rejuvenate the non-agency MBS market but offered little guidance on the future prospects for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The volume of prime non-agency MBS issuance is on the rise as investor demand for the product increases. Pricing in the non-agency MBS market for jumbos is rivaling execution levels for holding the loans in portfolio, and some issuers are seeing better returns by placing loans in non-agency MBS instead of delivering them to the government-sponsored enterprises.
The types of investment-property mortgages being included in new non-agency MBS pose more risk to investors than similar mortgages eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises, Fitch Ratings warned this week. [Includes one data chart.]
Mortgage-backed security investors remain interested in non-qualified mortgages, though the hot market may be cooling off. A particularly large non-QM MBS from an affiliate of Western Asset Management Company was delayed in closing and downsized slightly as some firms suggest that returns in the market slipped in the first quarter. WAMC’s Arroyo Mortgage Trust 2018-1 was initially sized at $1.25 billion, according to presale reports published near the end of April by ...
Redwood Trust boosted its net income in the first quarter of 2018 and continued to increase its originations of expanded-credit mortgages. The real estate investment trust is seeing strong demand for the loans in the secondary market and Redwood is set to issue its largest expanded-credit mortgage-backed security to date. Redwood had $46.9 million in net income in the quarter, up 51.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up 26.7 percent from a year ago. The company sold ...
The second prime non-agency mortgage-backed security from an affiliate of American International Group is a lot like the MBS the company issued in March, but the new deal received favorable treatment from the rating services, with lower credit enhancement on the senior tranche. PSMC 2018-2 Trust will be a $429.4 million issuance, according to presale reports published last week. The mortgages have an average credit score of 773, an average debt-to-income ratio of 33.0 percent ...
Flagstar Bank is set to issue a non-agency mortgage-backed security stocked solely with investment-property mortgages eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises. The issuance is a first in the post-crisis era and it suggests that Flagstar expects better execution in the non-agency market than from delivering the loans to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Flagstar Mortgage Trust 2018-3INV will be a $329.1 million issuance, according to presale reports published ...
A handful of nonbanks are preparing to enter the non-agency MBS market as issuers of deals backed by non-qualified mortgages. Investor demand for the products remains strong, prompting interest from new entrants.