New Ability-to-Repay Requirements, Assignee Liability Could Mean Increased Losses on Non-Agency MBS
December 6, 2013
Ability-to-repay requirements set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could increase losses, liquidation timelines and loan modifications for non-agency MBS, according to Standard & Poors. The new requirements take effect Jan. 10 and include assignee liability for certain loans. Liability from the ATR requirements and qualified-mortgage standards are only a concern for non-agency MBS issuers and investors if a borrower defaults. Given the exceptionally strong performance of jumbo MBS issued since 2010, S&P said the threat of higher losses will generally be mild for jumbo MBS. However, performance could eventually decline...