MBS and ABS participants gathered in Las Vegas this week, discussing volatility and weak demand from investors. The consensus? Buyers will remain cautious until getting a better handle on the Fed’s actions.
Litigation-finance ABS, backed by advances made to injured individuals in litigation, allow plaintiffs to press for larger settlement payouts from insurance companies.
Freddie recorded the biggest decline in the agency market, while Ginnie dodged the worst of the downturn. Agency multifamily MBS issuance was up, however, as was non-mortgage ABS production. (Includes three data charts.)
Moody’s proposed establishing ESG “issuer profile scores” and “credit impact scores” for structured finance transactions rated by the firm. DBRS, too, has released its approach to ESG risk factors in credit ratings.
Non-agency MBS with mortgages originated by CDFIs faces scrutiny from rating services; The Change Company pushes back; MBS and ABS investor preferences on credit scoring models.
According to Equifax, the 60+ day delinquency rate on subprime auto loans hit a record in March. S&P countered that Equifax is double-counting loans, adding that delinquencies aren’t at record levels in the ABS market.
The Structured Finance Association had asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to hold off on new environmental, social and governance naming and disclosure requirements for asset-backed securities while SFA works on its ESG best practices.
Both delinquencies on securitized student loans and prepayment rates on student loan ABS are up and could increase further due to the Biden administration’s efforts to help distressed borrowers.