The average daily trading volume in agency MBS increased to $223.2 billion in September, the second highest reading of the year, according to figures compiled by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. Compared to August, trading volume was up about 12.1 percent, but flat compared to the same month a year ago. The increase in activity coincided with declining bond prices and rising interest rates. As the weekend approached, the yield on the benchmark ...

Requirements for asset-level disclosures for certain ABS fell off of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s most recent regulatory agenda but the issue remains on the regulator’s radar, according to industry participants. Asset-level disclosure requirements for MBS and ABS have been a concern since 2010 when the SEC proposed revisions to Regulation AB. Some of the so-called Reg AB2 revisions were ultimately finalized in 2014, establishing disclosure requirements for ...

Investor demand for non-agency MBS backed by re-performing loans has prompted an increase in issuance, with a new emphasis on deals that have credit ratings. Chimera Investment issued its first rated RPL transaction this week and MetLife Investment Management is preparing to enter the market as an issuer. “Rated RPL MBS has fundamentally changed the market,” Scott Waterstredt, a managing director at MetLife, said at the recent ABS East conference. He noted that ...

Vacancy rates are up in the single-family rental space, mostly due to seasonal factors, according to a new report from Morningstar Credit Ratings. Meanwhile, the toll from Hurricane Irma is still being calculated. “The average vacancy rate among single-family rental securitizations climbed to 5.7 percent in August, as property managers dealt with increased lease expirations, typical of the summer months,” analysts from Morningstar said. This was the fifth consecutive monthly increase. They cited two ...

The election of President Trump and Republican control of Congress initially prompted optimism among MBS and ABS issuers for significant easing of regulatory standards. But with comprehensive legislation from Congress looking unlikely, the focus has shifted to federal agencies, according to speakers at the recent ABS East conference sponsored by Information Management Network. “Expectations have had to be reset post-election,” said Ryan Schoen, a senior financial services analyst at Washington Analysis, a research firm. He said he doesn’t expect much regulatory reform from Capitol Hill. While the House passed H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act, this year, the Senate is taking a more measured approach. “The Senate doesn’t seem...

Servicers of loans in MBS and ABS responded to recent hurricanes by aiming to limit investors’ losses while also showing consideration to borrowers. Practices vary across asset types, particularly in the MBS market. A number of issuers and servicers at the ABS East conference produced by Information Management Network last week in Miami Beach said they suspend collection-related calls to delinquent borrowers in the days immediately following a hurricane. Servicers also stressed that it’s important to hear from borrowers to better understand whether loss mitigation might be necessary. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and federal government entities involved in the mortgage market issued...

The biggest challenge for the vibrant single-family rental market may be the shortage of available homes to purchase, according to panelists speaking at an Urban Institute event highlighting institutional investment in SFRs this week. And one analyst pointed to mid-sized investors as being best positioned to profit from the market. Since the financial crisis, SFRs have emerged as a viable housing option and real estate investment firms are seizing the opportunity. Both mom-and-pop operators and institutional investors have been buying homes of all sizes and offering them as rental properties. Prior to the crisis, there were...

Demand in the secondary market for credit risk could help increase issuance of prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities, according to industry analysts. A significant number of investors at the ABS East conference last week said deals across the MBS and ABS markets have been oversubscribed, with the supply of new issuance in recent months seen as insufficient. The conference was produced by Information Management Network in Miami Beach. Peter Sack, a managing director at Credit Suisse, said...

Wells Fargo recaptured its crown as the leading VA jumbo securitizer, pushing Penny Mac back to second place even as the market dropped further in the second quarter. The volume of VA jumbo loans securitized during the second quarter declined by 5.2 percent from the prior quarter and by 11.8 percent during the first half of 2017 compared to the same period last year. VA jumbo mortgage originations were off by 4.3 percent from the first quarter, according to an analysis by Inside FHA/VA Lending affiliate Inside Mortgage Finance. Agency-jumbo production sagged in the second quarter but the results were not uniform. Fannie Mae production was up 6.5 percent from the prior quarter, while FHA jumbo securitization gained 7.2 percent during the period. At the same time, VA jumbo securitization was down 5.2 percent to $7.4 billion from $7.8 billion, while Freddie Mac saw a hefty 27.8 percent drop in ... [Charts]

MBS and ABS investors have more cash than they know what to do with, according to participants at the ABS East conference sponsored by Information Management Network this week. “Liquidity is strong across the spectrum and probably the best we’ve ever seen for structured products,” said Scott Levy, a senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities. He noted that three years ago, some of the securities the firm was involved with had 15 investors; now, similar deals might have 70 investors. “There’s a lot of demand and a lot less supply,” Levy added. More than 4,100 people registered...