Fitch and DBRS weathered the sharp drop in rated non-agency MBS issuance better than their competitors. S&P moved back to the top in ABS ratings at midyear despite losing some ground in the vehicle sector. (Includes two data charts.)
JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs accounted for much of the big increase in agency MBS held in bank holding company trading accounts during the second quarter. But several other companies recorded significant increases as well. (Includes two data charts.)
Smaller lenders appeared to punch over their weight as companies ranking below the top five generally posted bigger gains in first-lien originations in the second quarter. (Includes two data charts.)
Freddie MBS represented 3.7% of the collateral backing Fannie Supers in the second quarter, the highest level of commingling since the GSEs imposed new fees on such activity a year ago.
Money-market and mutual funds continued to invest heavily in the MBS market during the second quarter. Some of the burden may shift to foreign investors, experts suggest. (Includes two data charts.)
The GSEs effectively ended commingling of collateral in Supers securitizations last year. Despite a sharp reduction in the commingling fee, there was only a modest rebound in the practice in the second quarter. (Includes two data charts.)
A handful of top servicers fell out of the market during the second quarter, while banks reported a huge gain in their ARM portfolios. (Includes three data charts.)