Interest rates may be headed higher, but for now, investors are still pretty hungry for yield. That makes some of the more esoteric corners of the asset-backed market pretty attractive. In our cover story, Felipe Ossa looks at one of these, the equity portion of securitizations of guaranteed student loans. The so-called residual interest in older FFELP securitizations are throwing off cash, making them attractive to some seasoned investors. Sallie Mae, one of the biggest holders of resids, went so far as to securitize, or resecuritize, a bundle of them. But this was probably just an exercise to establish a market price. For now, most of the activity is in the secondary market, where other players, including Nelnet, are buying up resids.

Concern is mounting among investors and analysts that Nationstar, Ocwen Financial and Walter Investment are getting so big so quickly that they are becoming too difficult to manage.

The swelling trillion-dollar student loan market is missing key data and regulations necessary to head off another financial crisis, according to Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s top official in charge of dealing with student loans.

Nationstar is set to price a $158 million securitization of non-agency RMBS that is being led by joint bookrunners, Barclays and BofA Merrill Lynch.

Citi's U.S. head of banking and origination for securitized products, Gerald Keefe, has been appointed the new corporate bank head of Citibank Japan Ltd., effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Welk Resort Group's $158.67 million timeshare securitization was snapped up by 11 buyers, according to a company press release.

The proposal would introduce dissemination of trade prices for securities ranging from highly liquid credit card and auto ABS to smaller and more esoteric deals in asset classes such as time shares, to commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and highly structured CDOs and collateralized loan obligations.

The proposal would introduce dissemination of trade prices for securities ranging from highly liquid credit card and auto ABS to smaller and more esoteric deals in asset classes such as time shares, to commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and highly structured CDOs and collateralized loan obligations.

Overall issuance growth will moderate in 2014, Fitch Ratings' managing director for asset backed securities says in the firm's outlook.

Overall issuance growth will moderate in 2014, Fitch Ratings' managing director for asset backed securities says in the firm's outlook.

The servicer has a reputation for aggressively writing down principal, often multiple times.

The servicer has a reputation for aggressively writing down principal, often multiple times.