Auto leasing

The deal benefits from lower credit enhancement requirements after pooling higher FICOs and more seasoned contracts; but residual values continue to decline for the German automaker.

The captive-finance lenders will be the leading issuers of U.S. auto lease-backed securitizations in 2017 at the close of their latest deals launched this week.

More than 88% of contracts in the $800 million transaction have terms of less than 40 months; Fitch points to the increased the use of subvention at Toyota dealerships.

The average FICO for the pool of lease obligors is at a peak level for GM Financial's shelf, but Fitch expects higher losses on resale values on a pool more heavily dependent on longer-term leases and luxury models.

For the first time, the collateral includes lease contracts from its standalone Genesis luxury sedan line; two models, the G80 (base price $41,000) and G90 (base price $68,000) account for 4% of the total pool balance.

The sponsor is pooling what a majority of customers are buying these days, but future gas-price shocks could depressed used-vehicle prices on the lower MPG models.

Moody's thinks that the risk of early lease terminations is "marginal," since only 0.5% of the vehicles in the collateral pool are old enough to be impacted by bans in place in several European cities.

Despite riskier terms, rising delinquencies and falling used car values, investors keep buying bonds backed by prime and subprime auto loans and leases.

Credit support on the senior tranche of the $800 million transaction is 19.25%, up 250 basis points on the comparable tranche of the sponsor's previous deal to offset the impact of falling used car prices.

Nissan’s deal is backed by loans and will be sized at $1 billion or $1.3 billion, depending on demand. Hyundai Capital’s $1 billion transaction is backed by leases ranging from 24 to 48 months.