Student loan ABS

Chief Justice John Roberts told a Biden administration lawyer the program will have enormous financial implications for millions of Americans.

Loan forgiveness would help offset FFELP student loan ABS low prepayment rates and maturity risk, a primary driver of rating downgrades since 2016.

Smart Option loans lack a government guarantee, but typically are extended to borrowers with higher credit quality and a higher percentage of co-signers.

Delinquencies could trend downward, similar to the rise in early stage delinquencies in 2020, but observers say high inflation could add pressure to in-school repayments.

A strong capital structure boosts confidence in the timely payments of the notes, including provisions to mitigate negative carry.

The NCSLTs say whether student loan ABS trusts are “covered persons” and thus under the CFPB’s regulation is not something that an appeals court should decide.

At issue are CFPB claims that the National Collegiate Student Loan Trust (NCSLTs) had engaged in deceptive student loan debt collection and unfair litigation practices.

Fitch Ratings affirmed classes on five transactions, and upgraded class B notes on one deal, citing strong performances, plus upgraded B notes on a 2004 transaction.

Most of the deals are FFELP loans, but the sponsor and servicer entity is considered a financially weak company.

Robust salaries are a plus, but concentrating loans in a few well-paying fields presents different risks.