Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI, warned that credit-risk transfer issuance by banks could prompt a financial crisis. He asked the Fed to place limits on bank CRT activity.
Fitch generally views the deals as “credit neutral” for bank ratings, though there are some instances where CRT usage could put a bank’s ratings at risk for downgrade.
If Freddie Mac is allowed to purchase second mortgages, critics argue there should be clearly articulated capital requirements, loan-to-value ratio limits and debt-to-income ratio restrictions.
Lenders are compensating for climate change by requiring higher downpayments for properties in areas of higher flood risk and increasing subordination levels in securities with a higher concentration of mortgages in flood zones.
Fitch is allowing ratings for certain CRT issuance from banks to be higher than the rating on the issuer. The deals need various features to receive higher ratings.
Banks are looking for capital relief, regulators are making issuance of credit-risk transfers easier for banks to complete and investor demand for the deals is strong.