Coronavirus

Global trade is sinking while the pandemic interrupts international port and shipping activity. But securities backed by marine-cargo container fleets and leases have bombarded the securitization market this summer.

Two bills — one providing relief from a loan accounting standard and another extending forbearance measures — would collectively contain credit losses.

The captive-finance arm of General Motors is the first automotive lender this year to launch a securitization to finance inventories as dealerships rebound from COVID-19-related economic stresses.

The share of 78-month loans is at 14.9%, compared to approximately 10% in World Omni's previous issuance from its subprime/nonprime shelf.

Individuals who received a coronavirus stimulus check earlier this year also qualify for the protection, as do couples who jointly file their taxes and expect to earn less than $198,000.

More than $1 billion in coronavirus relief went to small businesses that received multiple loans and a congressional subcommittee analyzing the Paycheck Protection Program says it has seen evidence of fraud in thousands more loans.

For the first time since June 7, the number of loans going into coronavirus-related forbearance didn't decrease from the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Although the 3.41% forbearance rate is down from two prior Navient refi deals, it remains far above what has been the low historical payment deferral and workout rate for its refinancing program for advanced-degree professionals.

Both the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Federal Housing Administration are extending relief for homeowners and renters due to the pandemic crisis.

Three non-QM deal issuers in August report varying levels of progress in moving borrowers from expired forbearance programs.

The mortgage giants were criticized earlier this month for a plan to charge an "adverse market fee" to protect against losses resulting from the pandemic.

While cutting losers to buy winners is an age-old investment proposition, the Covid-19 pandemic may create even more openings than the past crises that became bonanzas for real estate investors.

Lenders initially won't be able to pass on the cost of the Federal Housing Finance Agency's "adverse market fee" to borrowers whose rates on GSE-backed mortgages and refinances are already locked in.

Banks and other lenders have found a way to potentially make billions of dollars from the coronavirus-fueled upheaval in the U.S. mortgage market — yet it risks burning bond investors in the process.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the proposal would increase access to credit, but consumer groups argue that it will encourage lenders to make high-cost loans while protecting them from legal liability.

For the second consecutive month, the average extension rate in June for troubled loans due to pandemic-related stresses on borrowers shrank in both prime and subprime loan sectors.

The number of loans going into coronavirus-related forbearance decreased for the ninth consecutive week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Dana Wade, a former OMB official, says a strong capital footing will help the Federal Housing Administration weather an uptick in delinquencies and ensure the mortgage market is viable once the economy recovers.

A pioneer in the commercial mortgage-backed securities market argues the HOPE Act would bail out savvy investors who don't deserve it. Barclays predicts that kind of attitude will make passage difficult.

With the moratorium still in place, mortgage foreclosure activity fell 83% in July compared to the year before and 4% from June, according to Attom Data Solutions.