Securitization

Volkswagen Bank announced a €717 million ($138 million) auto loan securitization issued under the sponsor’s auto loan receivable program in Germany.

Greg Finck joins Morgan Stanley Investment Management as a managing director.

Final rules requiring sponsors of securitizations to retain “skin in the game” were published in the Federal Register today.

Karen Pallotta has joined Redwood Trust’s Board of Directors, the company announced in a press release today.

Cantor Fitzgerald hired Gary Wang and Karl Partch as managing directors in whole loan sales and trading.

The Russian ruble is in freefall — it’s down more than 50% since January — and interest rates are climbing on the back of the Bank of Russia’s aggressive efforts to shore up the embattled currency.

George Kok is set to join Morgan Stanley as a managing director in the bank’s Commercial Real Estate lending group.

Marketplace lender Social Finance may seek a larger initial public offering than initially planned, according to Chief Executive Mike Cagney.

International bank regulators finalized changes Thursday that will greatly diminish the role of external ratings agencies in weighting the risk of securitized assets in capital requirements.

Starwood Waypoint Priced its first securitization transaction, a $505 million deal backed by properties that are older than others in this emerging asset class.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange has launched a product designed to allow fixed-income investors to hedge against interest-rate volatility.

Barclays analysts downsized their forecast for issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by U.K. banks for 2015.

This controversial legal theory on discrimination threatens to disrupt consumer lending and poses a potential liability for anyone securitizing these loans.

Regulatory clarity is an integral factor in Fitch Ratings stable outlook for the securitization market in 2015.