RMBS

A voluntary merger among some of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks may become a possibility now that the GSE regulator is trying to lay out a formal merger approval process.

Ambac Assurance Corp. is close to reaching a settlement that would wipe away more than $500 million of exposure to revenue bonds issued by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry for the Las Vegas Monorail, according to its regulator Thursday.

Countrywide, which is now part of Bank of America Corp., routinely didn't bother to transfer essential documents for loans sold to investors, an employee testified.

Credit Suisse expects to see GNMA prepayment speeds rise 10% to 15% during the November period, according to a recent report.

On the surface, the three homes appear to have just one thing in common: foreclosure.

Put-backs of defective mortgages are accelerating and the Federal Reserve Board is growing more concerned about the potential risks to the banking system.

The volatile reaction created by the Federal Reserve's QE2 drove demand down in the consumer ABS sector, Wells Fargo analysts said.

If government support of the mortgage market is reduced – either gradually or immediately – and the private sector doesn't fill the void with investment capital, it could have dire consequences for housing and residential finance, according to a new analysis released by Redwood Trust.

Last week's Chapter 11 filing by Ambac Assurance, which provides insurance on billions of dollars of MBS held by corporate credit unions (CUs), is likely to add to the price tag of the federal bailout of these wholesale institutions.

Investors are starting to receive additional details on the loan types — including information on Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Savers and FHA modified loans — that issuers are placing in Ginnie Mae-guaranteed MBS.