J.P. Morgan Securities is arranging a $352.7-million RMBS securitizing 677 prime pre-crisis mortgages originated by Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., according to a pre-sale report by Fitch Ratings.

Lorillard’s pending acquisition of Reynolds American shrinks the universe of original participating manufactures in the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement to 2 from 3; but not the payments made to tobacco bonds.

Cantor Fitzgerald hired Gary Wang and Karl Partch as managing directors in whole loan sales and trading.

Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) subsidiary Chesterfield Financial Holdings has closed a $300-million transaction backed by a “closed block” of life insurance policies, RGA said in a press release.

U.S. collateralized loan obligations have relatively low exposure to oil and gas, according to Standard & Poor's.

Credit Suisse teamed up with JP Morgan and Barclays to sell $1.4 billion of securities backed by 69 commercial mortgage loans that are secured by 94 properties.

Freddie Mac has purchased additional reinsurance for the mortgages that it guarantees via its Agency Credit Insurance Structures (ACIS) program

The Russian ruble is in freefall — it’s down more than 50% since January — and interest rates are climbing on the back of the Bank of Russia’s aggressive efforts to shore up the embattled currency.

The amount of commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding rose to a record high in the third quarter, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association

George Kok is set to join Morgan Stanley as a managing director in the bank’s Commercial Real Estate lending group.

CIFC Asset Management is in the market with its fifth collateralized loan obligation of the year, according to Fitch Ratings.

If the Securities and Exchange Commission bans Standard & Poor’s from rating commercial mortgage backed securities, as it is reportedly planning to, bonds backed by a single, large asset would be hit disproportionately, according to J.P. Morgan.