Securitization

Bank of America (BofA) maintained its perch as the nation's largest residential servicer in the second quarter but its portfolio declined by 2% compared to the first quarter, a sign that the refinancing boom could be wreaking havoc on its ability to recapture its own customers.

National Australia Bank (NAB) appointed Steve Lambert as global head of debt markets at the firm.

Pick up just about any city's newspaper or turn on any news show, and if the topic is real estate, the banking industry is likely being lambasted for foreclosing on troubled homeowners.

Capital constraints on mortgage insurance companies could impede the ability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to keep up with the demand for mortgage financing during the housing recovery, according to a report by the government-sponsored enterprises' regulator.

Remittance reports for the August distribution date, representing the July collection period, were released today.

As millions of students head to college over the next few weeks, credit card issuers will be making some of their last pitches to these potential cardholders before a new law severely restricts such business.

A Treasury Department proposal aimed at reforming the private-label securities market would give federal regulators some flexibility in setting risk retention standards for the banks.

Freddie Mac reported a 30% drop in MBS issuance in July, compared to the previous month, as refinancing activity slowed dramatically.

UBP Asset Management, a fund of funds management company of Union Bancaire Privee, has appointed Matt Auriemma as co-head of structural risk analysis.

Home prices fell in the second quarter at a slower pace than in the first quarter, the first time in three years there has been an improvement from one quarter to another, according to a gauge of U.S. home prices published on Tuesday that also showed a month-over-month improvement in prices.

Investment boutique Newscape Capital Group appointed Paul Molere as a board director and head of European institutions.

In filing its petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., Ocala, Fla. indicated its bankruptcy estates might have funds available to distribute to unsecured creditors.

As more banks work with ailing borrowers to relax the terms of their debt, a debate is brewing over how lenders classify restructured loans.

The San Diego City Employees' Retirement System (SDCERS) has made an investment in the Term ABS Loan Facility (TALF) with Metropolitan West Asset Management (MetWest). The firm will manage $80 million of the plan's assets.

The Obama administration's regulatory reform plan would for the first time officially define a "big" bank as those with more than $10 billion in assets — and force them to pay more for their supervision as a result.

The mortgage banking firm Taylor, Bean and Whitaker (TBW), which recently ceased making mortgages, originated an estimated $22 billion in Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured loans over the past 24 months, which represents 4.5% of the FHA's total business during that period.

The increasing number of borrowers "underwater" on their U.S. prime credit mortgages appears to be behind a decrease in private-label securitized loans' delinquency cure rates, according to Fitch Ratings.

It was no secret that the Obama administration was gunning for strict regulation of the previously unbridled over-the-counter derivatives markets.

Bingham McCutchen hired Michael Glazer as a partner in the Los Angeles office. The new hire joins the firm's investment management practice group and financial services practice area from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.

Spanish lender Banco Santander SA announced today that it would buy back €16.5 billion ($23.6 billion) of its fixed-rate securities at a discounted rate.