Bond Group to Expand Forward Settle Dates

The Bond Market Association plans to expand the number of months of forward settlement dates it publishes for to-be-announced trades of agency pass-through mortgage-backed securities.The association plans to begin publishing 12 months of forward settlement dates for these securities on Jan. 1 instead of the six months that are currently published. "Growth in the overall [MBS] market and increased activity in the options market led to the need to expand the number of months for which settlement dates are posted," the association said. The settlement dates are available on the association's website at http://www.bondmarkets.com/market/setdates.shtml.