RMBS

Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley is almost done completing tasks mandated under the terms of a mortgage settlement in New York.

Nearly half of the properties are in New York (30.3%), New Jersey (10.4%) or Florida (8.7%), states that require a court to sign off on a foreclosure, a lengthy process that could affect the timing of payments.

Vandy Fartaj, the firm’s chief capital markets officer, says a novel deal structure allows the real estate investment trust to issue additional term notes its portfolio of mortgage servicing rights grows.

Investor demand for mortgage bonds is strong; the only limiting factors are consumer awareness of the product and loan officers' willingness to offer them.

Hurricane Irma could potentially affect more private-label mortgage securities collateral than any other recent storm.

The $426.2 million COLT 2017-2 is backed entirely by loans originated by Caliber, an affiliate of private equity firm Lone Star Funds. There are no loans originated by Sterling Bank & Trust, which accounted for 22% of the collateral for the prior deal.

The 4,443 single-family rental homes securing Starwood Waypoint Homes 2017-1 have an average age of 30 years, older than any previous transaction by the sponsor, but are bringing in more than $1,700 apiece in monthly rent.

The average home value backing the loans is $117,000, well below the average $150,000 of other recent RPL securitizations, according to Fitch Ratings.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will adjust their risk-sharing deals so that they can accommodate high loan-to-value loans refinanced under the programs replacing the Home Affordable Refinance Program.

MFA Financial Inc. co-CEO William Gorin died Aug. 10 after a long illness. He was 59.