During the worst of the buyback storm in late 2012 and early 2013, the GSEs reported over $18.51 billion of unresolved repurchase requests and as much as $13.22 billion in buybacks during a single quarter.
What year-end slow down? Michigan Mortgage is searching for 14 new employees for ten of its 28 locations. A majority of the jobs are for loan officers and underwriter positions...
Fleig said Fannie’s new policy has prompted some questions as industry participants haven’t seen a draft of the subordination agreement seller/servicers will have to sign.
PIMCO led non-agency MBS investors in the filing of a class-action lawsuit against Citibank last week, alleging that Citi didn’t adequately perform trustee duties on MBS issued before the financial crisis. The lawsuit claims violations of New York’s Streit Act, which has been cited in several other lawsuits against trustees. PIMCO et al v Citibank was filed in New York’s state supreme court. Other investors involved in the filing include AEGON, Kore Advisors, Prudential and Sealink Funding Limited, and the plaintiffs aim to include all that have invested in 25 non-agency MBS where Citi is the trustee. The deals were issued...
Morningstar Credit Ratings proposed new criteria this week to rate residential MBS. The rating service published similar criteria in May but Morningstar has only rated one deal backed by new residential mortgages since then. The biggest addition in the proposed criteria details how Morningstar plans to handle transactions that include primary mortgage insurance. The provision could help Morningstar rate risk-sharing transactions from the government-sponsored enterprises. The rating service said...
An increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve is likely to be accompanied by a change to a Fed program that could have a significant impact on investors’ cost to finance purchases of MBS, according to industry analysts. The Fed could increase interest rates as soon as Dec. 16. In a report released this week, analysts at Deutsche Bank Securities noted that Fed officials have discussed removing a cap on the Fed’s overnight reverse-repurchase program when interest rates increase. “That program will almost surely put...
Some market analysts see an investment opportunity brewing in subprime auto ABS in the coming year, despite increasing regulatory attention. But certain rating analysts are emphasizing the rising losses the sector has been seeing for the last few months, and a few contrarians think the market is either poised to enter bubble territory or is already there. Consumer ABS analysts at Wells Fargo Securities are recommending subprime auto subordinated bonds rated BBB, convinced they offer good value on a risk-adjusted basis. With spreads set to finish 2015 at historically wide levels (excluding the financial crisis), the analysts expect...
Among the regulatory initiatives underway at the Securities and Exchange Commission is a potential crack-down on conflicts of interest at credit rating agencies. In the SEC’s latest regulatory agenda, the agency noted that its Office of Credit Ratings is “considering recommending that the commission propose rules and amendments designed to address the conflicts of interest associated with the issuer-pay business model.” In other words, at issue is...
In the ongoing Fairholme Funds v. The United States case, Judge Margaret Sweeney recently denied Fannie Mae’s motion to quash or invalidate a subpoena issued by the plaintiff’s counsel. As part of the discovery phase, Fairholme Funds asked that Egbert Perry, appointed chairman of the noard of Fannie in 2014 and board member since 2008, be called to testify in the case. In the motion, Fannie and Perry argued that based upon the discovery conducted so far, deposing Perry is “unnecessary and burdensome.” The court rejected that and other arguments made to relieve Perry of testifying. In the November order, Judge Sweeney said that the court permitted discovery in this case to ensure that plaintiffs would have every opportunity to...