ABS

Major credit card issuers' delinquency rates declined in December, supporting the growing belief that loan losses are near their peak.

BlackRock acquired substantially all the assets of Helix Financial Group. Helix Financial, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, provides advisory, valuation and analytics solutions to commercial real estate lenders and investors.

Citigroup marked up the asset value of its residential mortgage servicing rights by 15% in the fourth quarter to $6.5 billion, even though the dollar volume of its portfolio of housing receivables is declining.

Managing Director and former Head of MBS/Real Estate ABS Strategy Rahul Parulekar is leaving Citigroup Global Markets in the next few days. Prior to Citi, Parulekar was at Bear Stearns.

Nearly 9% of all Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured single-family loans are 90-days or more past due, according to the agency's latest monthly activity report.

Moody's Investors Service analysis shows that only 400,000 to one million loans will be saved from foreclosure by Home Affordable Modification Plan (HAMP), which the rating agency called a linchpin in the Obama administration's plan to stabilize the housing market.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro testified before the financial crisis inquiry commission yesterday and advocated for the tightening of securitization requirements.

DBRS hired Rosemary Kelley for the structured finance group as a senior vice president effective Jan. 4. Kelley was hired as a lead analyst in the ABS group.

After parting ways with the after the American Securitization Forum (ASF), the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) said it plans to start its own unit to work on improving asset securitizations.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust, Calabasas, said it has bought a $40 million portfolio of problem loans.

Even though JPMorgan Chase reported strong earnings for the fourth quarter, the hangover from the mortgage crisis and the resulting loan 'buy backs' forced on the company by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to hurt its bottom line.

Foreclosure filings jumped 14% in December from November, after four straight months of declines, according to data to be released today by RealtyTrac.

Sales of lower priced homes are doing much better than expensive ones in all parts of the nation, thanks, in part, to the first-time homebuyer tax credit, according to the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book report.

Ginnie Mae issuance of single-family and multifamily MBS hit a record $414 billion in 2009, up 53% from the previous calendar year.

Morgan Stanley has named John Klopp head of Americas real estate investing and global real estate debt investing.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury said Thursday that The TCW Group has repaid more than $200 million in debt it owed the federal government as result of its decision to opt out of the Public Private Investment Program (PPIP).

Spanish RMBS market peformance stabilized in November 2009, according to the latest indices published by Moody's Investors Service.

Cantor Fitzgerald continues the expansion of its global credit, high yield and distressed sales business with appointments to its debt capital markets group, including new managing directors for its trading, research and sales groups, the New York-based firm said Wednesday.

Irish Life & Permanent is working a €200 million ($291 million) securitization of value of business in force (VIF), according to a Reuters report.

The American Securitization Forum (ASF) is ending its administrative affiliation with The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).