One of the most significant variables industry participants are working to address in terms of introducing a deal agent into non-agency mortgage-backed securities is the fee structure. Issuers are trying to balance paying for the services provided by a deal agent without diverting too much cash flow from investors in non-agency MBS. The fee structure will also play a key role in how rating services treat MBS that have a deal agent, with issuers looking for favorable treatment ...

The nonprime mortgage-backed security issued by Deephaven Mortgage earlier this month was largely similar to a deal the firm issued in April, save for a greater emphasis on mortgages underwritten with less than full documentation. So-called alternative documentation mortgages accounted for 36.5 percent of the $250.13 million MBS Deephaven issued this month, up from a 17.7 percent share of its $221.14 million issuance in April. Non-agency lenders underwriting mortgages ...

Representations and warranties on new nonprime mortgage-backed securities often include weaknesses that limit their ability to protect investors against fraudulent or defective loans, according to an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service. However, the rating service said current practices and dynamics in the nonprime MBS market help to mitigate the risks from weak reps and warranties. Moody’s hasn’t placed ratings on nonprime MBS backed by ... [Includes four briefs]

Wells Fargo is planning to issue non-agency mortgage-backed securities backed by new originations this year, according to an official at the bank. The company was one of the top issuers of non-agency MBS before the financial crisis, but like most big banks, Wells has opted to retain its jumbo production in portfolio. “This year, one of our aspirations is to come back to the market with a couple of deals,” said Franklin Codel, senior executive vice president of consumer lending ...

Large servicers of jumbo mortgages continued to increase their holdings in the first quarter of 2017, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. And delinquency performance improved on already low levels. The unpaid principal balance of jumbo mortgages serviced by a group of 30 companies hit $935.70 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2017, up 1.6 percent from the previous quarter and up 8.4 percent ... [Includes one data chart]

JPMorgan Chase is preparing to issue a $1.02 billion non-agency mortgage-backed security with jumbo mortgages along with loans eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises. JPMorgan Mortgage Trust 2017-2 received preliminary AAA ratings last week from Kroll Bond Rating Agency and Moody’s Investors Service. The deal will be the second-largest non-agency MBS backed by post-crisis originations, topped only by the $1.03 billion security Chase issued in ...

Five Oaks Investment shut down its jumbo conduit operations but is still involved in the sector by providing a backstop to representations and warranties on jumbos originated by other lenders. The real estate investment trust is backstopping reps and warrants for mortgages sold on a loan exchange operated by MAXEX. “In July 2016, the company announced that it would no longer aggregate and securitize residential mortgage loans; however, given Five Oaks Acquisition ...

Participants in the non-agency mortgage-backed security market and banks have proposed different ways of how to address debt-to-income ratio standards for qualified mortgages. The Structured Finance Industry Group wants the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to consider speeding the timeline for ending the so-called QM patch, while the American Bankers Association seeks a permanent fix for the DTI issue. The debate centers on the 43.0 percent DTI ratio standard for QMs ...

Data regarding subprime mortgages outstanding, delinquencies and loss mitigation activity are getting more difficult to track as the market has essentially been in runoff mode since 2009.Few servicers report on their subprime portfolios, a key delinquency data series was recently discontinued and details on loan modifications are lagging. Some $247.0 billion of subprime mortgages were outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2017 ... [Includes one data chart]

Credit Suisse is preparing to issue a $91.18 million non-agency mortgage-backed security backed by seasoned FHA mortgages, according to a presale report by Moody’s Investors Service. CSMC Trust, Series 2017-FHA1 received a preliminary A1 rating. Credit Suisse was a major issuer of post-crisis jumbo MBS but hasn’t issued a jumbo MBS since the fourth quarter of 2015. Fitch Ratings completed a review this week of 63 non-agency MBS backed by post-crisis originations ...