Economy

Deals, trends and research in structured finance and asset-backed securities for the week of March 26-April 1

The development bodes well for outcomes on distressed loans backed by major government-related mortgage investors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The FHFA’s forbearance extension to September is forcing nonbank servicers to buy out more delinquent loans. It's also upended loss estimates for investors and made racial and income disparities in the mortgage market worse.

UMB Financial’s success in aviation financing has boosted fee income, and the Missouri company has opened an office in Dublin — a hub for airplane sales and leases that could get busier as the airline industry restructures.

Relying on retained earnings alone, it would be until at least 2036, if not longer, before government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae might end.

New assistance for renters may help but past efforts, while necessary, failed to get relief to renters in an expedient way, said David Brickman, who is now the head of a new agency lending platform backed by Barings and Meridian Capital.

The Blackstone-affiliated company recently took out a cash-out refi mortgage for a 17-property portfolio, an opportunity aided by high demand for its R&D facilities for COVID-19 research.

The announcement signals an openness to creating something many GOP lawmakers have long resisted: a federal guarantee of the trillions of dollars of mortgage bonds that Fannie and Freddie issue, a rep for P.A. senator said.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is preparing to retire certain loan underwriting flexibilities after extending them one additional month to April 30.

The government-sponsored enterprise announced Wednesday it will change eligibility criteria for vacation homes and investor properties starting April 1 to fulfill a directive by former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

In its final days, the Trump administration imposed limits on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s holdings of mortgages with loan-to-value ratios above 90% and certain other characteristics. Critics say the changes were unnecessary and disproportionately penalize borrowers of color.

The bond issuance out of Fortress' CF Hippolyta master trust will finance 19 newly constructed or planned Amazon distribution and logistics facilities in 15 states.

Ratepayer bond securitizations have helped utilities defray litigation expenses or finance 'stranded costs' related to deregulation since the '90s . A new wave appears imminent, driven by green-energy conversion needs and relieving the burden of pandemic-related consumer assistance.

The agency issued a proposal moving the compliance date for the Qualified Mortgage rule revamp to October 2022.

As government debt swells, the outer limits of what the U.S. can safely borrow are becoming less and less clear.

The 18 centers operated by industrial real estate management firm LBA Logistics are nearly all warehouse/distribution types, with no flex-industrial space pooled into the collateral mix.

In an analysis of the pandemic's impact on the housing market, the agency said nearly 10% of households could be at risk of eviction or foreclosure despite government programs to enable homeowners to delay their payments.

The mortgage giants were authorized to give just over $1 billion combined to the National Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund this year, the highest contribution ever. The amount reflects refinancing growth in 2020.

Already contending with stressed retail, hotel and restaurant loans, bankers are beginning to view office lending — historically a safe bet — as increasingly risky as companies of all types rethink their space needs.

The $16.9 billion in issuance marked the biggest annual number seen since the government-sponsored enterprise reconstituted its risk sharing program in 2013.