Even as CMBS financing is slowly regaining form, with anticipated issuance of up to $40 billion this year, practices that contributed to the last downturn are slowly creeping back into the picture. This is a topic that was discussed at the CRE Finance Council's June convention in New York.

Brazil is one of the brighter spots in global ABS, a different world from the regulatory anxieties, debt overhang and slower origination plaguing other countries.

According to preliminary figures from the ASR Scorecards database, $31.03 billion in public ABS was issued in 1H11. This is a boost in comparison with the $26.41 billion recorded a year ago.

Regulation was a main focus at the recently concluded Global ABS 2011 conference held in Brussels in mid June. One of the issues was Solvency II, the proposed new European regulatory regime that, according to a report by Moody's Investors Service, is probably going to increase regulatory capital requirements for both European Union and European Economic Area insurers and reinsurers when it is implemented in 2013.

The regulatory overhaul of the housing market has taken center stage in most discussions regarding securitizations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is ordering all national banks to conduct in-house reviews of their foreclosure management practices and prepare reports for OCC examiners.

Of the small pool of homeowners still refinancing their mortgages, a growing share are trading in lower monthly payments for the opportunity to pay down their debt faster.

This afternoon the New York Federal Reserve told dealers that it does not anticipate any further auctions of its Maiden Lane II (ML II) portfolio in the near term.

Tejas Securities Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Westech Capital Corp. hired Samir Shah as managing director and co-sales manager of structured products.

Taylor, Bean & Whitaker's (TBW) former chairman and CEO Lee Farkas was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for leading a $2.9 billion fraud scheme that brought down the top-ranked nonbank lender, and its chief warehouse backer Colonial Bank.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York has approved the reorganization plan of Innkeepers USA Trust, a REIT that filed for Chapter 11 protection in July 2010.

Grant Thornton’s public finance practice has been selected as the structuring and refunding verification agent for NYS Tobacco Settlement Financing Corp.’s (TSFC) $959.1 million ABS offering, which was priced by Barclays Capital on Tuesday.