RMBS

The 1,210-loans backing Gemgarto 2018-1 all finance owner-occupied loans, and none rely on self-certified or "fast-track" loans, according to presale reports from Moody's Investors Service and DBRS.

The collateral includes both QM and non-QM loans; however, certain loans are designated as QM even though the borrower’s DTI may be above 43%, due to a temporary exemption for GSE-eligible loans.

Frameworks have largely improved since the financial crisis, but there remains a lack of consistency and some recurring weaknesses that are keeping some traditional U.S. RMBS investors on the sidelines.

A Fannie Mae test to handle the private mortgage insurance process for lenders may raise concerns that it's going outside the scope of its secondary market mission. But the effort reflects its mandate to explore new credit-risk transfer alternatives, a company executive said.

Lauren Hedvat, Angel Oak's managing director of capital markets, said that the rising non-qualified mortgage volume in the market has expanded the number of third-party origination loan packages for purchase.

Impac Mortgage Holdings will sell up to $600 million of non-qualified mortgage loans to Starwood Property Trust over the next 12 months that will be securitized.

CoreVest American Finance’s next offering of rental bonds is backed by homes that are older and smaller than any of its previous transactions, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

Ginnie Mae is looking to start a pilot program to securitize digital mortgages as early as 2019, but issuers would not be able to commingle loans using traditional paper files in those deals.

IH 2018-SFR1 refinances three earlier transactions (one each from 2013, 2014 and 2015) and is initially sized at $1.1 billion; it may be upsized to $1.3 billion, depending on investor demand.

Since its inception, the qualified mortgage rule has been synonymous with loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or guaranteed by government agencies. But a broader QM definition could change that by creating more competitive private-label options.