Two banks dominated contributions to prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued in the past two years, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. And a majority of the top 10 contributors to prime jumbo MBS were banks or affiliated with banks. JPMorgan Chase accounted for $4.58 billion of the prime mortgages included in prime non-agency MBS in 2015 and 2016, a 22.1 percent share of total issuance ... [Includes one data chart]

Securitization of commercial mortgages was down slightly in 2016 as a result of a sharp drop in the non-agency commercial MBS market, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. Meanwhile, the agency multifamily MBS platforms cranked out record new issuance last year. In total, some $209.03 billion of commercial-property MBS were issued last year, a 3.1 percent drop from 2015. It still ranked as the second most-productive year in commercial MBS issuance since 2007, the year before the financial market meltdown. But non-agency CMBS issuance fell...[Includes one data table]

Among the many impediments to a revival of the non-agency MBS market is what potential investors see as a lack of transparency from issuers. To address the issue, the Institute for Financial Transparency has created a “transparency label” that will identify non-agency MBS that include adequate disclosures. Richard Field, director of the IFT, detailed the Transparency Label Initiative in a recent study published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the Center for Insurance Policy and Research. “While there has been a significant amount of activity surrounding disclosure for structured finance securities, these securities still remain...

With the post-election interest-rate rise sticking around, there’s a growing school of thought that residential originators will finally ease underwriting standards in an effort to boost lending volume. But the way things stand today, that could be wishful thinking. The Mortgage Bankers Association told Inside Mortgage Finance this week that its Mortgage Credit Availability Index shows a “gradual” loosening has occurred, but it credits a greater availability of jumbo product for the reading. As MBA Senior Vice President of Research Michael Fratantoni put...

The average daily trading volume in agency MBS fell to $192.1 billion in December, the lowest reading of the year, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. For the full year, however, average daily trading volume in agency product came to $206.6 billion, compared to $193.0 billion in 2015 and $178.0 billion in 2014. The last time trading volume was higher than in 2016 came three years earlier when $222.8 billion in agency product was traded on a daily basis. What the numbers actually mean is...

The residential MBS market is expected to be healthy this year, according to some ratings service analysts. But the new president is the big unknown, market participants say. According to analysts at Fitch Ratings, the rating outlook for U.S. RMBS they rate is auspicious, as they expect asset performance trends to stay positive thanks to support from solid, if somewhat uneven, gains in home prices. “Although a number of legacy transactions continue to face negative rating pressure due to declining loan counts and tail risk, rating upgrades outnumbered...

The jumbo mortgage-backed security Redwood Trust is set to issue on Jan. 20 received improved pricing compared with the company’s previous deal issued in October. The new MBS is fairly similar to the prior bond, indicating stronger demand from investors. The $343.28 million Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2017-1 priced last week. The super-senior tranche priced 1-20 back of Fannie 3.5s, which was four ticks tighter than Redwood’s previous offering, according to an analysis by Wells Fargo Securities ...

Large swaths of investors will continue to avoid buying non-agency mortgage-backed securities unless Congress passes investor-friendly reforms, according to Chris Katopis, executive director of the Association of Mortgage Investors. “Private capital has virtually left the U.S. mortgage market,” he said. “The future is likely to reflect a similar situation unless Congress helps establish the necessary systems, structures and standards for private capital to return.” In a recent study published by ...

The types of home loans included in prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued during the fourth quarter of 2016 varied somewhat compared with issuance from recent quarters, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $907.8 million in prime non-agency MBS was issued during the fourth quarter. Collateral in the deals shifted more toward adjustable-rate mortgages, interest-only mortgages and refinances. ARMs ... [Includes one data chart]

The Department of Justice this week finalized previously announced settlements with Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse regarding non-agency mortgage-backed security activities in the run-up to the financial crisis. The DOJ said the $7.20 billion settlement with Deutsche Bank was the single largest residential MBS resolution for the conduct of a single entity. The settlement with Credit Suisse was for $5.28 billion. Both of the settlements included civil penalties and ... [Includes two briefs]