Commercial banks and savings institutions reduced their holdings of non-mortgage ABS again during the second quarter, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis of call reports. Banks and thrifts held $147.55 billion of non-mortgage ABS as of the end of June, a 5.1 percent decline from the previous quarter. The banking industry’s aggregate ABS portfolio has been shrinking steadily since the end of 2013 and was down 15.2 percent over that period. Banks shed...[Includes two data tables]
Ginnie Mae this week revised its requirements for participating MBS issuers seeking approval of changes in their business status as a result of mergers, change of ownership or control, transfer of assets or a negative turn in their dealings with regulatory agencies. The agency decided to update the guidance because of the increasing number of requests from issuers, according to Ginnie Mae President Ted Tozer. The requests are getting more complex as well, he said. The agency’s Mortgage-Backed Securities Guide has been updated...
Lenders and investment banks are working to increase the issuance of ABS backed by loans from marketplace lenders. Attracting investors to the new asset class has proved somewhat difficult, however, and a recent court decision has put the business model of some marketplace lenders in limbo. Howard Altarescu, a partner and co-head of the global finance business unit at the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, noted marketplace lending started with internet-based lending platforms, including Lending Club and Prosper Marketplace, that matched individual investors looking to lend small capital amounts to borrowers in need of consumer loans. He joined other experts during a webinar on the topic hosted this week by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Altarescu said...
Servicing federal student loans would likely become more costly and cumbersome under a set of best practices recently issued by a White House-sponsored interagency panel. Back in March, the Obama administration assembled a group of officials from the Treasury Department, the Department of Education, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Domestic Policy Council to monitor trends in the government’s student loan portfolio, budget costs and borrower assistance efforts. As part of that effort, the task force was directed...