RMBS

Portuguese household incomes would feel the strain of a proposed hike in income tax, which would in turn have a knock-on effect on arrears and default levels in the RMBS transactions, according to an Oct. 5, Fitch Ratings report .

Prepayment speeds slowed less than expected in September . For example, 30-year FNMAs and GNMAs were projected to decline 11-12% with a four day lower day count a major factor; however, speeds slowed just 9% on FNMAs and 6% on GNMAs.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is seeking public input on its white paper regarding a proposed framework for a common securitization platform and a model Pooling and Servicing Agreement.

Freddie Mac reported 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell four basis points to a new record low of 3.36% with an average 0.6 point in the week ending October 4.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sharply criticized President Barrack Obama’s failure to finalize a “qualified mortgage” rule, which has stifled the housing market.

The Valuation of Securities Task Force, which is a part of NAIC assigned to make recommendations that regulate investment risk, has proposed that the economic scenarios used in the 2012 yearend modelling process for CMBS and RMBS should stay similar to 2011.

One other ingredient critical to Nationstar's meteoric rise is a deal it struck with Fannie Mae at the height of the mortgage servicing crisis.

Brean Capital has continued its expansion into fixed-income products by hiring Scott Buchta as head of fixed-income strategy.

This morning the Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 19.6% surge in the Refinance Index to 5888 in the week ending Sept. 28, its highest level since April 2009.