Cart

Inside MBS & ABS

April 30, 2010

View Archived Issues

Republicans End Three-Day Filibuster, Float Alternative Regulatory Reform Bill

Senate Republicans have floated a legislative alternative to the Democrats’ regulatory reform bill that would limit risk retention requirements to mortgages that fail to meet new minimum underwriting standards, increase disclosures on asset-backed securities, and begin to address the fate of the government-sponsored enterprises.The minority legislative draft emerged as... Read More

S&P May Have Judged Sequoia Deal More Harshly Than Moody’s Did, Discusses New Rating Process

Standard & Poor’s may have taken a more cautious view of the risk in the new jumbo MBS issued by Redwood Trust, which was rated only by Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s gave the senior class of the transaction, Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2010-H1, its highest Aaa rating based on subordinated classes totaling 6.5 percent of the collateral pool and Redwood’s... Read More

Panel Cites Pressure for Market Share, Revenue in Slamming Moody’s, S&P for Role in Financial Crisis

Among the numerous flaws in the credit rating process that Congressional critics seized upon last week were the sales revenue and market share pressures that Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s felt in issuing MBS ratings that later proved to be far too inadequate. “Competitive pressures, including the drive for market share and need to accommodate investment... Read More

Fed Holds Its Ground on Interest Rates, No Change Yet in MBS Portfolio Plans

The Federal Open Market Committee this week agreed not to move its target for short-term interest rates “for an extended period” as the U.S. economy lumbers back to life. And although one member of the committee continues to rattle the cage for unwinding the Fed’s massive portfolio of agency MBS, the FOMC gave no hint that it planned on significant sales any time soon... [Includes one chart] Read More

Goldman Executives Say It Was All About Risk Management, Not Betting Against Investors

Though it remained profitable during two years of financial crisis, Goldman Sachs lost approximately $1.2 billion from its activities in the residential housing markets but managed to offset those losses with gains from short trades, according to the company’s top executives. For 11 hours this week, Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein and other current and former... Read More

Thrift MBS Holdings Edge Higher In Late 2009, Hudson City on Top

The shrinking U.S. thrift industry recorded a modest increase in its total MBS holdings at the end of 2009, although the outlook for the sector remains cloudy. Institutions overseen by the Office of Thrift Supervision held $141.38 billion of mortgage-related securities in their portfolios at the end of last year. That was up 2.7 percent from the third... [Includes two charts] Read More

Latest Imf News

More Imf News

Featured Data

More Featured Data

Featured Reports

More Latest Reports

Featured Poll

As homeowner equity continues to build, more and more lenders are launching home equity lending products. Are you thinking of joining this market?

View Results