Capital markets

Mortgage bankers are sounding alarms that the Federal Reserve's emergency purchases of bonds tied to home loans are unintentionally putting their industry at risk by triggering a flood of margin calls on hedges lenders have entered into to protect themselves from losses.

Two Harbors, a real estate investment trust, sold the bulk of its nonagency mortgage-backed securities portfolio to head off margin calls and refocus on its more favorable agency-MBS investments.

The ratings agency on Wednesday placed whole-business securitizations from Applebee's/IHOP, TGI Friday's and Planet Fitness under review for potential downgrades.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency authorized the government-sponsored enterprises to lend additional support to the mortgage-backed securities market and temporarily allow some flexibility in lending requirements to address coronavirus-related concerns.

Additional mortgage-backed securities purchases by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will address private investor skittishness about the asset class, but it will not necessarily lower rates.

A large percentage of Institutional investors lack confidence in the U.S. government’s ability to contain and eradicate the coronavirus outbreak. But few have plans to pull capital out of specific geographic regions due to the pandemic.

Not so long after Treasury bond yields experienced an unprecedented drop, the average 30-year mortgage rate rose, reflecting volatility related to the coronavirus as well as capacity issues on multiple levels.

Over the last two weeks, at least half a dozen lenders to mid-size businesses actively fundraising in North America and Europe have canceled appointments or travel plans to meet with prospective investors due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus.

Terry Wakefield, a technology consultant who helped launch Fannie Mae's mortgage-backed securities business and form Prudential Home Mortgage, has died. He was 70.

Mortgage companies that borrow heavily to keep their operations running may face financial pressure from coronavirus-related market volatility as it affects the valuations of collateral securing their financing.