Securitization

In 2Q11, the quality of the loans backing CMBS conduits held steady in terms of leverage, although there are already signs of more aggressive underwriting, Moody's Investors Service said in a report released today on its quarterly review.

Insurance-linked securitizations (ILS) are holding up even in the aftermath of the major natural disasters that hit during early 2011, said Standard & Poor’s in a release.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, aided by banking and housing groups, are beginning a strong lobbying push to forestall a scheduled drop in the maximum sizes of mortgages backed by the GSEs.

Although Bank of America entered into a $2.8 billion buyback settlement with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac late last year, it is looking at additional repurchase claims regarding the two GSEs, according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury fell to 2.35% Monday morning, nearing its all-time low as stocks sold off in the wake of Standard & Poor's historic debt downgrade on the U.S.

American International Group (AIG) plans to sue Bank of America along with a host of other prominent financial institutions as the insurer seeks to recover losses on MBS, according to a report in The New York Times.The newspaper, quoting sources with knowledge of the pending action, says AIG hopes to recover more than $10 billion in losses on some $28 billion in investments, claiming the bank along with its Merrill Lynch and Countrywide Financial units misrepresented the quality of mortgages.

The CRE Finance Council (CREFC) hired Martin Schuh to fill the newly created position of director, legislative and regulatory policy. The new hire is based in CREFC’s new Washington, DC office.

JPMorgan Securities weighed in on the effects on the MBS market of Standard & Poor's lowering its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. to 'AA+' from 'AAA'. They expect forced MBS selling to be very small.

Following its historic downgrade of the U.S., Standard and Poor’s has predictably cut the rating of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ‘AA+’ from ‘AAA.’ At the same time, the agency affirmed the short-term ‘A-1+’ rating on these government-related entities, while removing them from CreditWatch Negative, where they have been since July 15.

As largely expected by the securitization market, Standard & Poor's said today that it has lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. to 'AA+' from 'AAA'.

A global settlement has been reached between Wells Fargo & Co. and institutional investors that purchased Wachovia securities. It is worth a of total $627 million.

Fannie Mae posted a net loss of $5.2 billion in the second quarter and Friday morning requested that the Treasury Department provide it with $5.1 billion of additional funds to keep its capital position in the black.

Starting on Sept. 26, in all reports accompanying new ABS ratings, Moody's Investors Service will include comparisons to standard benchmarks for each transaction's representations and warranties and enforcement mechanisms.

Speeds on MBS were projected to increase around 5% on average in July. However, speeds were 2% slower on FNMAs, flat on FHLMC Golds, and 1% higher on GNMAs.

Loeb & Loeb hired Peter Seiden and Bryan Petkanics to join its New York office as partners in its commercial finance practice.

The Titan Europe 2006-5 transaction posted a notice published yesterday indicating that the Quartier 206 shopping center that secures the defaulted loan with the same name was placed into "public administration".

CMBS delinquencies in the U.S. have reached a new record high as a result of a slew of new late-pays along with below-average loan resolutions last month, Fitch Ratings analysts said.

Redwood Trust, the only firm to publicly issue Jumbo MBS in the past two years, posted a net profit of just $9 million in the second quarter, half of what it earned in 1Q11, telling investors there is a lack of quality mortgages to buy at the right price.

CLOs are finding new fans from among the ranks of another kind of vehicle that invests in leveraged loans — business development companies (BDCs).

With home sales anemic and an anticipated avalanche of foreclosures looming, policymakers are beginning to view renting troubled properties as a way to soak up inventory and put a floor on the housing market. And investors are starting to take note.