New production of non-agency MBS declined sharply from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2015, although year-to-date issuance suggests that 2015 could top last year’s total output. Just $13.92 billion of non-agency MBS were issued during the second quarter, a 40.0 percent tumble from the first three months of the year. The first quarter of 2015 was the biggest quarter in non-agency MBS issuance since the second quarter of 2009. The biggest components of the market have been...[Includes three data tables]

Bond investing giant Pacific Investment Management Co., commonly known as PIMCO, is getting more serious about buying a mortgage franchise and has zeroed in on a mid-sized nonbank, according to industry officials who claim to have knowledge of the talks. But it’s not mortgage banking, per se, that PIMCO is ultimately interested in – it’s the MBS market. “PIMCO has been in the MBS game for many years, so I would think this is possible,” said industry consultant Paul Hindman. Hindman has...

Issuance of jumbo mortgage-backed securities leveled off in the second quarter of 2015 after posting strong gains in the previous three quarters, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $3.11 billion in jumbo MBS was issued in the second quarter, down 32.5 percent from the first three months of the year. After unexpected fluctuations in interest rates in mid-2013, jumbo MBS issuance averaged ... [Includes one data chart]

Two rating services in the past month have completed reviews of jumbo mortgage-backed securities issued in 2010 and later. The reviews led to numerous rating confirmations, some upgrades and no downgrades, prompting questions about whether criteria for rating jumbo MBS are too stringent. “I’d guess the rating services internally said ‘never again’ for downgrades,” said one participant in the jumbo MBS market. Officials at Fitch Ratings and DBRS ...

While a number of structural issues continue to limit activity in the non-agency mortgage-backed security market, reform of the government-sponsored enterprises would dramatically help the sector’s recovery, according to officials at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. “Issuers and investors are not likely to build the infrastructure necessary for a vibrant private-label securities market until they have a better understanding of how the government’s role ...

Increases to guaranty fees charged by the government-sponsored enterprises along with cross-subsidization policies could prompt bank lenders to shift more of their originations from the GSEs to portfolio. According to a report released last week by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charged an average g-fee of 60 basis points for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages in 2014, up from 55 basis points the previous year and ...

For the non-agency market, the impact of anticipated action by the Federal Reserve on short-term interest rates depends on whether interest rates on mortgages also increase, according to industry analysts. Industry participants continue to wait for the Fed to increase the federal funds rate and ponder the impact higher rates will have on originations and performance. “The effect of an interest rate increase on new residential mortgage-backed security transactions will ...

Servicers involved in national settlements are largely in compliance and making progress toward completing their loss-mitigation requirements, according to reports released in the past two weeks. Joseph Smith, the monitor of a settlement involving non-agency mortgage-backed securities that requires JPMorgan Chase to complete $4.0 billion in credited loss mitigation, said that as of the end of 2014, Chase was credited with $3.32 billion in relief ...

The Treasury Department didn’t meet key elements of federal guidelines for cost-benefit analysis when considering changes to the non-agency Home Affordable Modification Program that were implemented in November, according to the Government Accountability Office. In a report released last week, the GAO conceded that the Treasury isn’t required to follow cost-benefit guidance from the Office of Management and Budget when making changes to HAMP ...

Home prices remain below their peak levels and mortgage interest rates are well below where they were prior to the financial crisis. However, mortgage originations since 2008 have been significantly below the levels seen in years prior as tight underwriting standards have limited production. “Home prices are still very affordable by historical standards, despite increases over the last three years,” the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center noted in a recent report. “Even if interest rates rose to 6.00 percent, affordability would be at the long term historical average.” Black Knight Financial Services added...