More market professionals are about to lose their jobs, because of the crippling slowdown in new asset securitization business. This time, Moody's Investors Service is planning to slash 20% of the personnel from its structured finance group, according to an industry source, who said the layoffs will affect MBS and ABS teams alike. Rating agencies have come under widespread criticism for what industry sources say was a failure to issue accurate and timely assessments of risks underlying many mortgage-backed securities products. As a group, the rating agencies have downgraded or put on negative watch more than $55 billion in mortgage-related ABS and have reworked rating methods for a wide range of structured finance products. Officials at Moody's declined comment about what job cuts might specifically affect the ABS and MBS groups. Following months of volatility in the MBS sector, Moody's had announced that it would cut between 5% and 10% of staff across the entire company globally, but had given any specifics beyond that, said a source familiar with the company. In its third-quarter results, Moody's reported that global structured finance revenue totaled $200.8 million for the third quarter of 2007, a decrease of 6% from a year earlier. U.S. structured finance revenue fell 14%, with strong growth from rating commercial mortgage-backed securities more than offset by declines across all other asset classes, led by a 52% decrease in revenue from rating residential mortgage-backed securities. The dearth of new business is equally responsible for the coming job losses at Moody's, said a source. "It is so quiet over there," he said.
-
Known for subprime financing, the sponsor has been making inroads lending to near-prime customers in the last couple of years.
2h ago -
Spreads ranging from 16-18 basis points over the three-month, interpolated yield curve on the P1 (Moody's) and F1+ (Fitch) notes, to 160 to 170 over the benchmark on the class D notes.
April 25 -
Mortgage rates rose 7 basis points this week, Freddie Mac said, and more increases are likely following a weaker than expected gross domestic product report.
April 25 -
Broken down by product type, the agency's NJCLASS Standard Fixed product should account for a large majority of the loans, 75.4%. NJCLASS Consolidation will account for the next-largest group, 14.1%.
April 24 -
Congressional Review Act resolutions are ramping up ahead of the 2024 election cycle. Experts say that, although none are likely to become law, the resolutions are still powerful messaging and political tools.
April 24 -
The notes will price against Treasurys, with spreads expected to fall between 85 and 90 basis points over the benchmark.
April 24