Barclays has filed an S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to possibly issue under its Barclays Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust.

K&L Gates has created a new cross-practice task force to help clients address questions and allegations relating to the joint federal and state initiative to form an RMBS Working Group.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has sold a significant portion of its Maiden Lane II portfolio to Goldman Sachs. The residential mortgage-backed securities were sold through a competitive process and had a current face value of $6.2 billion.

Center Parcs group in the U.K. plans to issue a ₤1.020 billion ($1.6 billion) hybrid transaction that blends corporate securitization of the operating business with subordinated high-yield issuance.

New Irish personal insolvency legislation that was proposed in January and expected to become effective in 2013 will introduce debt forgiveness for borrowers viewed as having unsustainable mortgage debt, Moody's Investors Service said in a report released today.

Cashel USA Property Partners plans to purchase up to $500 million in distressed single-family residences in the U.S. to convert into rentals that will be serviced by PropertyAccess, a provider of national property management services for professional investors.

Not surprisingly, a new low in mortgage rates buoyed refinancing activity in the week ending Feb. 3.

Consumer debt rose 3.7% year-over-year to $2,498 billion in December, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts in a report released last yesterday.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke attempted to reassure lawmakers Tuesday that U.S. banks were taking steps to limit their exposure to Europe's debt problems, but acknowledged any crisis overseas would have a significant impact here.

Moments before he was scheduled to make a statement on the mortgage servicing settlement Tuesday night, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman postponed the conference call indefinitely.

Mortgage servicers continue to modify 25,000 loans a month under the government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), but that pace could pick up later this summer as new changes to the effort kick in.

Average three-month severities on CMBS conduit loans are at 47%, having steadily climbed since the middle of last year, according to Barclays Capital analysts, who predicted they would stay lofty in coming months.