As policymakers mull the future of U.S. mortgage policy,FHFA chief Edward DeMarco sees a potential starting point in an entity he does not regulate: the FHA.

Given the importance of housing to MBS credit and prepayment performance, MBS investors have always kept one eye on trends in national and regional real estate markets.

Utilities and regulators are pushing to meet evolving green energy requirements, and securitization offers a cost-effective way to finance the cleanup.

CMBS have enjoyed a steady recovery in spreads and dramatic improvement in credit performance this year, setting the stage for a pickup in issuance in 2013.

A highlight in the month was Barclays Bank's first SEC-registered credit card platform called Dryrock Issuance Trust.

See results from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Refinance and Purchase Indexes as well as the weekly mortgage rates surveyed by Freddie Mac.

View the year-to-date manager rankings for the different ABS sectors, including real estate, credit cards and autos.

View issuance volume for ABS, MBS and CMBS for the year to date through Dec. 7.

Santander Consumer Bank's Bilkreditt 3, a Norwegian Auto ABS, this week became the first deal to be tagged with the prime collateralized securities stamp of approval.

The deal, called Series 2012-2 is the second deal for DRI Capital this year, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The ratings agency rated both the earlier March deal and the issuer’s latest deal.

Interactive Mortgage Advisors is offering a package of Ginnie Mae bulk servicing rights with an option to buy upwards of $1.5 billion in added ‘flow’ rights in the next year.

Nelnet is marketing a $1.01 billion student loan securitization deal called Nelnet Student Loan Trust 2012-6.