RMBS

Last Monday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s (FDIC) board of directors approved the final rule to replace its Safe Harbor transition rule on securitization. The finalized version extends until Dec 31 the transitional Safe Harbor - allowing the ABS market three months to adjust to the final rule's requirements.

For the last three quarters of 2010, U.S. public ABS issuance reached $44.17 billion, according to preliminary figures from the ASR Scorecards database.

Will the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ever bridge the Grand Canyon-sized gap between issuers of asset-backed securities and their investors when it comes to waterfalls and the Python language?

With a recent 4.32% print for the Freddie Mac survey rate, primary mortgage rates have hit all-time lows. However, mortgage rates remain stubbornly high compared to rates in the capital markets. The spread between the survey rate and the Fannie Mae current coupon rate has widened to around 100 basis points, well above its five-year average of +58. While this measure is an imperfect proxy for the relationship between consumer rates and market yields, it nonetheless implies that mortgage rates remain "sticky." This relationship is dictated in large part by industry economics, driven by the level of lending activity relative to the mortgage industry's capacity.

With the government nearly monopolizing mortgage origination, players are asking themselves: How do private companies create "affordability" products for non-prime borrowers and do so by funding themselves through a viable ABS market?

Elizabeth Warren, the top Obama administration official in charge of setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, made it clear late Wednesday that she intends to target financial disclosures as one of her top priorities.

The House of Representatives approved a continuing funding resolution (CR) early Thursday morning that extends the $729,750 maximum loan limit for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family loans until Sept. 30, 2011.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rates declined five basis points to an average of 4.32% with an average 0.8 point in the week ending Sept. 30, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey.

Judge Marsha Pechman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has issued an order partly denying WaMu's motions to dismiss Boilermakers National Annuity Trust Fund's securities act claims.

More U.S. servicers are likely to take JPMorgan Chase's and GMAC's lead to halt foreclosure proceeding in the face of increased scrutiny over their foreclosure process.