Delinquencies

While the balance of newly delinquent loans fell by 50% from November, the ratings agency warned that many borrowers will likely struggle to bring loans current under ongoing pandemic conditions.

Reports indicate distressed owners would rather surrender their hotel or retail properties instead of negotiate workouts on delinquent loans as the pandemic spread carries on.

With limited plan removals due to the holidays, mortgages in coronavirus-related forbearance rose by 15,000, according to Black Knight.

About 4,400 loans started the foreclosure process in November, alongside 176,000 mortgages in active foreclosure.

With infection rates rising and unemployment claims increasing since Thanksgiving, mortgages in coronavirus-related forbearance rose by 37,000 last week, according to Black Knight.

The percentage of seriously delinquent loans hit 5.8% in the third quarter, up from 1.5% a year earlier but down from 6.8% in the second quarter.

While 12,000 mortgages exited forbearance, the most borrowers entered forbearance protection in a week since early September, according to Black Knight.

The more-than-$550 billion market for bonds backed by U.S. commercial mortgages may face losses even after promising Covid-19 vaccines become widespread, as key parts of the real estate market may not return to full strength anytime soon.

Citigroup's realty arm is sponsoring a $1.06 billion RMBS of highly seasoned mortgage loans with troubled histories. All of the loans were acquired via a Fannie whole-loan auction.

Mortgage delinquencies dropped to the lowest level since March but, particularly at the seriously delinquent level, they're still much higher than pre-coronavirus rates, according to Black Knight.

The overall mortgage delinquency rate improved in the third quarter as the economy got healthier while late-stage delinquencies hit a decade high, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While the overall rate fell in October, S&P noted a sharp rise in the proportion of loans overdue 60 days as many roll out of COVID-19 forbearance.

Defaults have been milder than expected thanks to government relief and stricter underwriting. But with the crisis dragging on and policymakers unable to agree on a stimulus plan, loans to highly indebted companies remain at risk.

While overall mortgage delinquency rates slowly descend, serious delinquencies — especially loans past 120 days due — jumped in July, according to CoreLogic.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of its Qualified Mortgage standard is alarming free-market advocates who say it will precipitate a return to easy credit and higher defaults and could disproportionately harm minorities.

Over 3.6 million borrowers sit in coronavirus-related forbearance with portfolio and private-label securitized loans driving the week's increase, according to Black Knight.

Deals, trends and research in structured finance and asset-backed securities for the week of Sept. 25-Oct. 1

Deals, trends and research in structured finance and asset-backed securities for the week of Sept. 18-24

“The Fed has made it clear that they don’t want a liquidity problem in the Treasury market or the higher-grade corporate market,” Fuss said. “They cannot, unfortunately, underwrite lending in the private markets.”

A new report on bank-held commercial real estate and C&I loans indicates troubled borrowers may be skipping payments on loans they won't be able to refinance or extend over the next year, leading to a potential wave of defaults over the next four to six quarters.