RMBS

The private-label MBS market might get a boost from two companies that are planning to issue in 2012 — Redwood Trust, the only issuer of non-agency MBS securitizations post-crisis, and Two Harbors Investment Corp., which is partnering with Barclays Capital.

The top 10 sellers of mortgages to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pay 20 basis points in guarantee fees compared to 30 basis points for firms outside the top 100, according to a new report from Keefe Bruyette & Woods (KBW).

After the passage of the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (H.R. 3765), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) stated there will be a 10 basis point GSE g-fee increase effective April 1, 2012.

DBRS released a report today regarding the Attorneys General settlement with servicers. The rating agency said it will continue to monitor the servicing industry regarding the final settlement terms and the effect the settlement will have on the secondary market.

MGIC Investment Corp. at yearend contributed $200 million of cash to its mortgage insurance subsidiary as two important capital waiver deadlines expired.

The passage of the payroll tax holiday extension in December was, in my mind, a watershed moment for the mortgage and MBS markets. For the first time, Congress instituted a tax on mortgage transactions, to be collected by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In this light, the operative question for regulators and policy makers is simple: "What are we trying to accomplish?"

To understand the role private-label mortgage financing, MBS players must first wait and see what the government's next move will be. It is not that securitization is not happening. It is just that all the activity in the market is via the GSEs.

The full implementation of Basel III is still years away, but it is already impacting key areas of the securitization market such as mortgage servicing rights. The impact of its liquidity ratios on market participants will likely be felt as early as this year.

Last year, securitization players found themselves stumbling towards recovery, as new regulations and a weak economy posed one hurdle after another for deal makers.

Structured finance players in Latin America pushed through 2011 with few scars, especially given the turmoil pounding European markets.