Fitch Launches SMARTView, Tags 51 CMBS

Fitch Ratings has published finalized methodology incorporating the new SMARTView system into its structured finance ratings, tagging 51 commercial mortgage-backed securities deals as under review.Under the new system -- now available for Fitch-rated CMBS, with other asset classes to follow -- if a transaction is classified as Under Analysis (such as the 51 CMBS deals) it means that the rating agency will be issuing a rating action within 30 days. Fitch said 367 other CMBS deals were designated with the day's date (Sept. 20), indicating that no immediate action is necessary. "SMARTView will provide evidence to the investor community that Fitch is actively monitoring each deal on a continuous basis," said Mary MacNeill, a Fitch managing director. (SMART stands for surveillance, metrics, analytics, research, and tools.) The rating agency can be found online at http://www.fitchratings.com.