Volume in MBS trading was at less than two-thirds of normal as a result of thinly staffed trading desks and the market shutdown.

According to Barclays, the recent Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey highlighted the continued strength of consumer lending.

If loss estimates for Hurricane Sandy fall in the range of $5 billion to $10 billion that one catastrophe modeling firm, EQECAT has estimated; the storm is unlikely to jeopardize capital for major property and casualty insurance companies or reinsurance companies, said Moody’s Investors Service.

Citgroup Global Markets said that the number of RMBS delinquencies that eventually default resulting from Hurricane Sandy will mostly depend on how much damage will be covered by insurance.

Ally Bank is vowing to carry on in the residential finance sector, albeit in a reduced role.

Redwood Trust, the most active securitizer of Jumbo loans in the nation, earned $40 million in the third quarter – double of what it took in 2Q12 – and unveiled plans to ramp up non-agency loan production over the next 12 months and beyond so it can securitize $300 million or more each month.

The CFPB and FHFA said Thursday they are teaming up to create a first-of-its-kind mega-database of mortgages to track market trends and support policymaking research.

Standard & Poors said that in October the weighted average default risk of the top 70 tenants in U.S. conduit/fusion CMBS transactions was unchanged.

The right price for private capital is a moving target. Much depends on regulations over legal liabilities and risk retention requirements for originators that are still in flux.

GE Capital announced a $421 million dealer floorplan master trust securitization deal as the fixed income bond markets reopened on Wednesday.

BNP Paribas is marketing a €445mn, 2.4-yr senior tranche, French auto ABS deal named Autonoria 2012-2.

Since hitting a record low of 3.36% in the first week of October, 30-year rates have held to narrow range of 3.37% and 3.41%.