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Investment firms and hedge funds are increasingly engineering bankruptcy loans and side deals to take control of Chapter 11 reorganizations from the outset, locking in rich rewards for themselves while potentially locking out rivals and lower-ranking creditors with little transparency. The trend is sure to speed up cases, but it also forces judges to make quick decisions that may shortchange some valid claims.

The percentage of seriously delinquent loans hit 5.8% in the third quarter, up from 1.5% a year earlier but down from 6.8% in the second quarter.

The deadline for inclusion in Ginnie mortgage-backed securities has been extended and an exception will be made for some participations.

Downgrades applied to deals sponsored by Carlyle Aviation and Avolon Aerospace reflect the continued deterioration of airline credit quality and aircraft values afflicting nearly all issuers, the ratings agency reported.

Promising vaccines may not reach the general public fast enough to save a number of struggling companies next year, and workout professionals and distressed investors are expecting smaller private companies will search for cash in 2021. They’re also anticipating that businesses of all sizes may struggle to adjust to changing consumer habits in a post-pandemic world.

The $425 million loan securitization is among two single-asset, commercial-mortgage deals launching this week. Brookfield Asset Management's global real estate arm is also tapping investors to finance an $825 million loan backed by a downtown Manhattan office building.

With coronavirus inoculations underway and government stimulus likely to come, the outlook for next year’s housing market and lending environment grew more optimistic in December.

The Federal Reserve said Tuesday that it had joined the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System after participating in discussions with the group for over a year.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has all but ruled out letting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exit U.S. control before he steps down, leaving it to the Biden administration to decide the fates of the mortgage giants.

Last year, smaller lenders were put at a slight disadvantage in terms of what they were charged in guarantee fees when they sold loans for cash.