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Inside MBS & ABS

November 8, 2013

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Jumbo MBS Market Starts to Thaw as Citi Issues Its First Post-Crisis Deal, Redwood Offers MBS

After a relatively strong first eight months of the year, no jumbo MBS were issued in September or October. Although investor interest seems tepid, the market is showing signs of life as Citigroup issued its first post-crisis jumbo MBS this week, and Redwood Trust offered its first jumbo deal since August. The activity comes just weeks after Shellpoint Partners tried twice to sell a jumbo MBS, eventually pulling the deal and opting for a whole-loan sale. Pricing for jumbo MBS has improved enough for Citi and Redwood to test the market, and investors have also shown strong interest in other recent non-agency offerings. The $209.95 million Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2013-J1 received... Read More

Agency MBS Production Tumbled in October, Falling Below $100 Billion Monthly Volume

Further declines in refinance activity and some softening in home-purchase lending pushed agency single-family MBS production down to just $93.57 billion in October, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. October was the first month since September 2011 that agency MBS issuance fell below the $100 billion mark. Production last month was down 12.3 percent from September, and it represented the sixth consecutive monthly decline. There was...[Includes two data charts] Read More

Non-Agency MBS with Non-QMs Expected to Take A Rating Hit But Firms Haven’t Set Standards Yet

The non-agency mortgage market is expected to take the brunt of the changes prompted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new ability-to-repay rule and requirements for qualified mortgages. However, two months before the rule takes effect, the rating services haven’t released guidelines for how non-QMs will be rated, prompting issuers to be cautious with plans for non-QMs. Kroll Bond Rating Agency was the only rating service to offer details to Inside MBS & ABS in response to questions about ratings for non-agency MBS once the QM requirements take effect. Glenn Costello, a senior managing director at KBRA, said the securitization of non-QM loans will require additional credit enhancement relative to QMs. DBRS and Standard & Poor’s declined... Read More

FHFA Eyes CFPB’s Mortgage Chief for CSP CEO; Next Up: An Industry Advisory Board?

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has picked two “final” candidates to be CEO of the joint venture developing a common securitization platform for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and, potentially, some non-agency MBS issuers. According to industry officials close to the matter, Peter Carroll is one of the candidates to head Common Securitization Solutions, the name of the entity developing the platform. Carroll is currently the assistant director for mortgage markets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The identity of the other candidate could not be confirmed... Read More

Affordable Housing Trust Fund ‘Likely’ a Part Of Senate Housing Finance Reform Legislation

It does not appear to be a matter of whether a Senate housing finance reform bill will include an affordable-housing component but rather how to structure one that gets both Democrats and Republicans behind it. During a hearing this week, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Tim Johnson, D-SD, said that an affordable housing component is “imperative” to any reform legislation that he and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-ID, move through committee. “Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s mission is... Read More

Trustee Sues to Force Citigroup to Honor Repurchase Agreement; Citigroup Freed from Shareholder Suit

U.S. Bank, as trustee for a mortgage loan trust, has sued Citigroup in New York state court to force the financial giant to cure or repurchase defective loans from a securitized pool. In a separate case, a federal court in New York dismissed a shareholder action against Citigroup in connection with certain residential MBS. At issue in the first case is a pool of 4,792 mortgage loans that Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp. purchased and securitized in May 2007. Citigroup sold the loans to Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, which, in turn, deposited the loans into the trust and assigned its rights to U.S. Bank. The trust then issued the MBS. According to the court summons and notice, Citigroup conducted... Read More

Security Issuers Concerned About Wide Range of Provisions in Re-Proposed Risk-Retention Rule

The risk-retention rule re-proposed by federal regulators in September needs significant adjustments, according to issuers of collateralized loan obligations and asset-backed commercial paper. Investors are largely happy with the re-proposed rule, and issuers concede that the re-proposed rule significantly improved on the rule initially proposed by federal regulators in 2011. The Dodd-Frank Act requires federal regulators to establish risk-retention requirements for certain securities that don’t meet qualifying standards. Issuers of such securities will generally be required to retain at least 5.0 percent of the risk from such issuance. “We remain concerned... Read More

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