After issuance ground to a halt in March, five non-QM MBS deals came to the market in May and more are on the way. Transactions have been stocked with slightly seasoned mortgages.
Among the lenders currently offering non-QMs, underwriting standards are tighter and interest rates on the loans are higher than earlier in the year. Industry participants are optimistic that the sector will rebound, eventually.
For the first time in years, the amount of jumbo mortgage servicing outstanding declined on a quarterly basis. Looking forward, forbearance requests are a key issue. (Includes data chart.)
A $335 million deal from Goldman Sachs is the first prime non-agency MBS in the market since mid-March. The transaction includes mortgages originated in the past few months.
A coalition of industry trade groups asked the SEC to revise standards for publicly registered non-agency MBS. They suggested aligning standards with practices for private placements.
Beginning in March, the GSEs loosened certain appraisal standards due to complications from the coronavirus. A number of non-agency lenders are following the GSEs’ lead.
Investors in the ABS market are mostly staying on the sidelines waiting for the coronavirus volatility to play itself out. Meanwhile, some investors are focusing solely on AAA-rated assets.
During a House committee roundtable, the Mortgage Bankers Association requested Congress for a funding facility for servicers and legislation to help lenders with mortgages that entered forbearance soon after closing.