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Inside MBS & ABS

July 10, 2015

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Non-Agency MBS Issuance Slumped in 2Q15 In All Three Active Production Categories

New production of non-agency MBS declined sharply from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2015, although year-to-date issuance suggests that 2015 could top last year’s total output. Just $13.92 billion of non-agency MBS were issued during the second quarter, a 40.0 percent tumble from the first three months of the year. The first quarter of 2015 was the biggest quarter in non-agency MBS issuance since the second quarter of 2009. The biggest components of the market have been...[Includes three data tables] Read More

Securitization Groups Stress the Importance of Federal Preemption for Nonbank Participants in MBS and ABS

A number of trade groups that represent firms involved in the securitization market are pushing for an appeal to be heard in a case that has significant implications for the MBS and ABS markets. A ruling in May by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Madden v. Midland Funding determined that nonbanks shouldn’t receive the federal preemption of state law that has been allotted to banks under the National Bank Act. “The outcome of the case would significantly impair... Read More

Greek Debt Crisis Causes MBS Volatility, but the Big Fear is China; A Rate Plunge in the Cards?

Estimating where MBS prices might be headed has never been an easy game – and thanks to the debt crisis in Greece and a stock meltdown in China, it’s become a whole lot more difficult of late. But for now, analysts and market watchers are certain of one thing: MBS prices have been volatile the past two weeks thanks to a flight to quality, forcing investors everywhere to buy U.S. Treasuries. And because mortgages track Treasuries, yields have fallen and prices have increased. “The Greek crisis already has taken... Read More

PIMCO’s Designs on the Mortgage Business Are Getting Clearer. The MBS Angle?

Bond investing giant Pacific Investment Management Co., commonly known as PIMCO, is getting more serious about buying a mortgage franchise and has zeroed in on a mid-sized nonbank, according to industry officials who claim to have knowledge of the talks. But it’s not mortgage banking, per se, that PIMCO is ultimately interested in – it’s the MBS market. “PIMCO has been in the MBS game for many years, so I would think this is possible,” said industry consultant Paul Hindman. Hindman has... Read More

Commercial Real Estate Finance Trends Show Increased Capital Flow, Healthier Market

The enormous amount of capital flowing into the commercial real estate financing industry is the biggest factor that has shaped the market in recent years, according to Brian Stoffers, global president at CBRE Capital Markets. “It’s recognized as a good place to be if you’re an asset allocator, and it’s recognized as an institutional play with growth opportunities and cash flow,” he said speaking on a recent real estate panel in Miami. “So that kind of capital flow has driven [capitalization] rates lower.” Commercial real estate lending levels are exceeding... Read More

Mortgage-Related Interest Rate Risk at Banks a Concern For Regulators, with an Emphasis on MBS Holdings

With interest rates expected to increase at some point in the future, federal regulators continue to raise concerns about mortgage-related interest rate risk for banks. The risk perspective report issued last week by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency was the sixth-consecutive semi-annual report from the federal regulator to warn about the risks posed to small banks by holdings of agency mortgage-backed securities. “Material concentrations in MBS could make... Read More

Hedge-Fund Adviser Agrees to Pay $5 Million to SEC To Resolve Fraudulent Fund-Valuation Allegations

No matter how cleverly hidden, the Securities and Exchange Commission can eventually ferret out bad business practices – a costly lesson learned by AlphaBridge Capital Management. The SEC ordered AlphaBridge, a registered hedge-fund adviser, and two of its principals to pay a $5 million penalty for allegedly inflating the prices of illiquid MBS held in hedge-fund portfolios managed by the firm. The SEC charged... Read More

RBS Could Face the Largest FHFA Settlement Yet

The Royal Bank of Scotland may face having to pay a potential settlement of $13 billion amid claims that it sold faulty MBS to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to court documents. RBS was part of a string of litigation initiated in 2011 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency against 18 financial institutions. The suits alleged violations of federal securities laws and state laws in the sale of the non-agency MBS between 2005 and 2007. “MBS volumes linked... Read More

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