Finance

Securitization Focus

Recently the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) granted a temporary exemption from Rule 17g-5(a)(3) for credit ratings provided to most ABS, MBS and other structured finance securities of non-U.S. issuers. This reprieve expires on Dec. 2 and extends from June 2, which is the rule's effective date for domestic firms.

After two years of hibernation, the non-agency RMBS may be re-emerging.

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

Barclays Bank has agreed to sell HomEq Servicing, its U.S. mortgage servicing business, to Ocwen Loan Servicing, a subsidiary of Ocwen Financial Corp.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) next week will begin exploring investor appetite for $1 billion worth of mostly nonperforming whole loans that belonged to the now-defunct AmTrust Bank of Cleveland, market sources told National Mortgage News.

The mortgage industry is getting a handle on the Brave New World it is currently in, but it still seems a little unsure about which way it is headed due to two recent developments muddying housing and interest rate outlooks.

Allonhill hired Fidelity Southern Corp. executive Kathy Ireland as director of securitizations.

William Isaac, former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) chairman and an opponent of the mark-to-market accounting regime proposed by the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB), believes the recently announced proposal to expand the regulation may cause a dire and difficult situation for already struggling lenders.

Credit performance managed to improve slightly in European structured finance transactions in 1Q10 as the number of upgrades rose for the first time in several quarters, according to Standard & Poor's.

Alliance & Leicester's Fosse 2010-2 transaction was launched and priced yesterday afternoon after a two-week delay.

The Obama administration continued to push its priorities Thursday on what provisions should be included in the final regulatory reform bill.

The condition and performance of half the Federal Home Loan Bank system is "less than adequate," according to the nation's GSE regulator.

Fannie is putting mortgage lenders in a Catch-22 with its "loan quality initiative," which takes effect June 1.

There has been some confusion over first-quarter figures at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration. But one thing is indisputable: the mortgage market is still on government life support.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller/servicers will continue to face extra charges called "loan level price adjustments" which compensate the GSEs for buying certain non-vanilla mortgages.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust is offering a $98 million pool of loans to investors, according to market sources.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) named Bill Killmer as senior vice president of legislative and political affairs effective July 5.

Swiss Re Capital Markets completed a $150 million of insurance linked securities issued by Blue Fin Ltd. The structure covers U.S. hurricane and earthquake risk.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has proposed stricter rules that would require banks and other lenders to price their loans at their current market value.