Standard & Poor’s cut Italy’s credit rating one notch, to 'A' from 'A+', and cut its short-term rating to 'A-1' from 'A-1+'. The rating agency, citing a weak economic outlook, said that its outlook for Italy’s ratings is negative.

Consumer Portfolio Services (CPS) is in the market with a $109.9 million auto deal called CPS Auto Receivables Trust 2011-B (CPSART 2011-B).

Foreclosed borrowers will be able to lodge complaints about their lender and seek a review of their case under recent consent orders issued against the 14 top servicers, a senior regulator said Monday.

Executives participating in ASR sister publication American Banker's regulatory symposium Monday urged regulators to consider the industry costs of implementing the Basel III capital rules, including a capital surcharge on systemically important institutions.

As reported in a story published in StructuredFinanceNews.com yesterday, Federal Housing Finance Agency acting director Edward DeMarco reviewed the operating principles at work in the GSEs' conservatorship, highlighted some of the current initiatives and risks, and offered his thoughts on these agencies' future.

Dock Street Capital Management is acting as liquidiation agent for the deal called Rockville CDO I. There will be two separate sales to be held on Sept. 27.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should bundle at least 200 REO properties in a given metropolitan area into one pool to attract bids by large investors that are willing to rent out single-family homes for at least three years, according to Laurie Goodman, a senior managing director Amherst Securities Group (ASG).

The housing finance sector will have to wait until next year for the final rule on what constitutes a 'qualified residential mortgage' (QRM), the unofficial head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) told a regulatory forum in Washington.

Insurance regulators remain steadfast in their position that certain kinds of bonds should be treated as structured securities, even amid criticism that the move will make them less attractive to their most important investors.

The chief author of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act took exception to what he called "the revolt against risk retention," saying requiring originators to hold 5% of the loan amount on their books is "one of the central things we did in the bill."

Raj Date, the de facto head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), said Tuesday that misaligned incentives led to some of the major problems in mortgage servicing and still persist.

DBRS hired Chris D'Onofrio for its structured finance group as a senior vice president. D'Onofrio will focus his efforts in the firm's ABS group as a lead analyst.