The flow of refinance mortgages into agency MBS rose smartly from January to February. And year-to-date total issuance was up slightly from early 2023.
Prepayments on VA loans in Ginnie MBS jumped in February and will likely remain elevated in March. It’s a recurrence of an ongoing problem for Ginnie and VA: streamlined refinance business.
Banks, the largest holders of agency MBS among investor groups, aren’t expected to be big buyers this year. Money managers helped to fill the void left by banks last year, but that might not continue into 2024.
Attendance at the SFVegas conference this year hit another record. Demand for MBS and ABS is exceptionally strong, with few concerns on the immediate horizon.
Mortgage REITs mostly treaded water in the fourth quarter, although aggregate industry holdings were down slightly from the previous period. (Includes two data tables.)
If the central bank was required to mark its securities holdings to market, it would be more than $1 trillion in the hole, according to a new research paper.
Issuance of GSE Supers MBS remained elevated in the fourth quarter, although down significantly from the previous period. Ginnie remains king of the agency REMIC market. (Includes two data tables.)
What goes down must go up again? That seems to be the story of the fourth quarter’s revival in agency MBS values. Declining mortgage rates gave agency securities holders a shot in the arm.
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