QE3 got a shot in the arm as the week started with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech about recent labor market developments.

2012 2011 2010 ABS (Public + 144A) 65,181.3 38,022.9 40,511.2 ABS (Public + 144A excluding CDOs) 61,430.8 36,503.1 39,943.4 ABS (Public Only) 43,396.3 20,451.3 15,981.6 ABS (144A Only) 21,785.1 17,571.6 24,529.7 Non-Agency MBS 11,770.7 20,222.3 7,477.1 Agency MBS 82,870.1 106,412.8 133,336.1 CMBS 5,170.1 11,358.3 5,865.4

Manager Activity: Autos Book Runner Amount (US$ Mil) Rank Mkt.

MORTGAGE DATA 30-yr. Fixed 15-yr. Fixed 5-yr Treasury 1-yr Treasury- MBA Refi Home Purchase Rate Mortgage Rate Mortgage Indexed ARMs Indexed ARMs Index Index Week ending 04/19/12 3.90%

Experian Information Solutions' research indicates that, while the credit quality of auto loans may be slipping, it remains high enough to ensure the strong performance of the 2011 and 2012 vintages of securities backed by such loans.

A federal judge rejected an attempt by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to compel Wells Fargo & Co. to comply with an administrative subpoena, ordering the agency and the bank to meet to resolve their dispute over documents related to the agency's investigation of nearly $60 billion of RMBS.

Carlos Mendez left investment banking firm Sandler O’Neill + Partners in mid-February. He was the firm's head of structured finance at the time of his departure.

Former head of securitized products research at Credit Suisse Dale Westhoff will be shifting his responsibilities at the firm.

The enhancement levels for the new Credit Suisse prime RMBS deal called CSFB Mortgage Securities 2012-CIM1 are not enough to support a triple-A rating, Fitch Ratings said today.

At least two more commercial note/REO auctions are scheduled for the beginning of April, according to Barclays Capital CMBS Weekly Strategy Report published today.

Investors ramped up their purchases of single-family homes last year to a level not seen since 2007 — and only half of those buyers financed the purchase. Almost half (49%) paid cash, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).