Securitization

Treasuries have returned 1.7% this month through Aug. 28, on pace for a fourth straight monthly gain, according to the Bloomberg US Treasury Total Return Index.

Issuance of new mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae has returned to levels last seen during the year monetary policymakers began raising rates.

The Swiss bank claims that Countrywide is obligated to indemnify it for legal expenses stemming from risky mortgages bundled pre-2008.

Mortgage bonds tend to lag Treasuries when it's unclear where rates are going, because changes in yields can have a big impact on how many borrowers refinance their home loans.

The company earned about the same in the second quarter but less versus the prior period as it added to credit reserves due to loan acquisition activities and higher mortgage rates.

Yields are expected to range from 5.75% on the A1A notes to 6.55% on the M1, all priced on the three-month, interpolated yield curve.

But the industry-backed proposal differs by $13 million from the House version of the appropriation bill and it is not likely to get resolved until after the November election.

Last year alone, insurers increased their holdings of residential mortgage loans by a whopping 45%, or about $20 billion, according to an analysis by Ellington Management Group. 

The agency is looking to improve liquidity for its reverse mortgage-backed securities issuers who have to buy back loans.

KBRA says there is notable borrower equity in the properties collateralizing the mortgages, which is reflected in the weighted average original loan-to-value ratio of 71.7%.