With revenue lower than expected due to the coronavirus pandemic, California is allowing electric utilities to use securitization to avoid sharp rate increases for customers.

Residential MBS accounted for 39% of the combined structured-finance portfolio for the 15 largest life insurers in the U.S. (Includes data chart.)

Ultra-low interest rates are fueling both record originations and a stampede of debt offerings by mortgage firms far and wide. The latest participants: Rocket, NewRez and Fidelity National.

Issuance of ABS tied to marine container leases set sail in August, with the sector producing more volume in recent weeks than all of 2018 and 2019 combined.

TD Bank and Charles Schwab, the two biggest bank investors in ABS, both pulled back from the market in the second quarter, but industry-wide holdings rose slightly. (Includes two data charts.)

The bull market in debt offerings by mortgage-related vendors continues. The latest participant: ICE, which is buying Ellie Mae for a stunning $11 billion.

The Federal Reserve’s lending program is credited with helping the MBS and ABS sector even though investor demand is falling short of expectations.

The underlying pool includes prime unsecured consumer loans from Lend-ingClub that were selected using machine learning.

New CLO issuance fell sharply from the first quarter of 2020 to the second. Upheaval caused by COVID-19 led to widespread downgrades of borrowers backing CLO deals, though most senior bonds still have a favorable outlook. (Includes data chart.)

The debt market has been a welcoming place for all sorts of issuers of late. The latest participant: MGIC Investment Corp.