Fitch Adds Prime Sector to RMBS Indices

Fitch Ratings has announced the addition of the prime market sector to its Web-based RMBS Market Sector Performance Indices.The indices present mortgage delinquency statistics for the prime and subprime sectors by period of security issuance, and facilitates the comparison of performance over time, the rating agency said. The residential mortgage-backed securities indices include 60-day and 90-day delinquencies, foreclosures, real estate owned, a combined 60-day-plus status, and a short commentary on each sector's performance. The statistics and commentary are updated monthly. Fitch said the prime and subprime indices are based on loan-level data using actual payment dates. This system allows Fitch to generate indices based on the market approach, an advantage over indices aggregated from the deal level, where the method is dependent upon the servicer, the rating agency said.