Primary market originators and due diligence providers say the elusive market in private placement MBS deals has been gaining strength this year. “We’re seeing three to five private deals a month,” said Jeff Taylor, managing partner of Digital Risk, a New York-based risk management and due diligence firm. As for the underlying product, it’s across the board, he added. “It can be jumbo, nonperforming, and re-performing.” But the deals are also much smaller than the rapidly growing public MBS deals. Digital Risk, which conducts due diligence reviews on the underlying collateral, said...

Just how hot is the jumbo MBS market? Consider this: Some $3.95 billion in non-agency jumbo MBS was issued in the first quarter, compared with $3.46 billion in issuance in all of last year.

The National Credit Union Administration keeps racking up the "wins" in its drive to recover losses on faulty MBS sales.

Steve Stein, national sales director, has departed Green Tree Servicing, but the company isn't returning telephone calls and emails about the matter.

The non-agency jumbo mortgage-backed security market expanded significantly in the first quarter of 2013, with more new issuance than was produced in all of last year, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance MBS Database. Issuance showed no signs of slowing down entering the second quarter, led by Redwood Trust. Some $3.95 billion in non-agency jumbo MBS was issued in the first quarter, compared with $3.46 billion in issuance in all of last year. The last time non-agency ... [Includes one data chart]

Moody’s Investors Service said it would not have given its highest rating to the jumbo mortgage-backed security issued last week by JPMorgan Chase because of concerns about the deal’s representation and warranty framework and the lack of risk retention by Chase. DBRS, Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency gave JPMorgan Mortgage Trust 2013-1 AAA ratings with credit enhancement of 7.40 percent on the top-rated tranche. The rating services said the credit enhancement on the deal was ...

With banks starting to issue jumbo mortgage-backed securities instead of holding originations in portfolio, the sector has expanded beyond the two nonbanks that propped up non-agency jumbo MBS issuance since 2010. The activity shows favorable economics for non-agency MBS, including tighter spreads on interest rates between conforming mortgages and non-agency jumbos. The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgage was 3.596 percent this week, according to Inside Mortgage Finance ...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac suffered lower losses on their nonprime mortgage holdings in 2012 compared with previous years as mortgage performance has stabilized and investor demand for vintage non-agency mortgage-backed securities has increased. However, the government-sponsored enterprises have not realized profits on their vintage non-agency MBS holdings as they have employed a buy-and-hold strategy since 2008. The GSEs held a combined $103.4 billion of nonprime MBS in portfolio and ... [Includes one data chart]

Springleaf Financial is set to issue another subprime mortgage-backed security backed by vintage originations. The fifth deal from Springleaf since 2011 shows continued demand from investors for non-agency MBS. Springleaf’s $835.11 million MBS will receive a AAA rating with loss coverage of 55.5 percent on the top-rated tranche, according to a presale report released this week by Standard & Poor’s. The average seasoning of the loans is seven years. As with previous Springleaf deals, all of ...

In a mortgage market thoroughly dominated by agency-eligible home loans, a handful of boutique products such as no-downpayment loans, “energy-efficient” mortgages and peer-to-peer mortgages are trying to gain a foothold. Navy Federal Credit Union has been offering a no-downpayment mortgage since 2010, and officials said demand for the “HomeBuyers Choice” product has grown this year. The credit union holds originations of the no-downpayment loan in portfolio. The product is available for balances ...