Securitisation
Red dawn for Russian securitisation
It has been a dark time for Russia's securitisation market, but the addition of RMBS to the list of eligible assets for the central bank repo facility is raising hopes that a wave of new deals will herald a return of investor demand and re-energise the…
Cesr joins calls for more derivatives trade reporting
The Committee of European Securities Regulators (Cesr) called this morning for post-trade reporting on several classes of derivatives, including asset-backed securities (ABS) and collateralised debt obligations (CDO).
Morgan Stanley CDO repack designed to test investor appetite
Morgan Stanley's offering of a repackaged cash collateralised debt obligation (CDO) is designed to test market appetite for this type of risk, said a source familiar with the deal.
US PPIP toxic securities scheme launches, fund managers named
The US Treasury's scheme to purchase toxic mortgage-backed securities was officially launched yesterday with the unveiling of the asset managers charged with investing public funds, while officials sought to quell claims the scheme has been dramatically…
Almost all SIV assets now sold off, Fitch says
The structured investment vehicles (SIVs) at the heart of the credit crisis have now disposed of 95% of their $400 billion in assets, according to analysis released today by credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.
CMBS re-Remics could make Talf obsolete
A wave of downgrades to highly rated commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) is threatening plans by the US Federal Reserve to rehabilitate the market for existing deals. But a recent trend towards restructuring the transactions could render the…
Retention rage
The European Parliament and the US Treasury are pushing ahead with plans to introduce retention charges for securitisation deals in an effort to align the interests of investors and originators. But market participants complain the move is ill-conceived…
Lawyers highlight grey areas in securitisation regulation
Securitisation regulation recently passed by the European Union could have problematic legal implications for originators and investors, according to lawyers.
US securitisation regulation will force 5% retention
US regulators will require originators and sponsors of securitisations to retain 5% of securitised exposures and increase transparency of transactions, according to a leaked draft of a US Treasury report on improving the regulatory system, due to be…
Lobby urges Geithner to delay consolidation rules
The US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is facing resistance to its plans to force banks to account for their links to off-balance-sheet vehicles, which could require them to raise billions more in Tier I capital.
NY Fed to push ahead with Talf for toxic MBS loans
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is to push ahead with plans to open up the Term Asset-backed Securities Loan Facility (Talf) to purchasers of toxic commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS).
Convergence on securitisation is vital, ESF told
A prominent securitisation lawyer has criticised the lack of convergence between regulatory bodies with regard to securitisation regulation.
Help or hindrance?
The financial crisis has caused significant pain to Russian securitisation issuers. But an amendment by the Bank of Russia to include mortgage-backed securities on the list of instruments eligible for its repurchasing facility is fanning hopes of a…
Fed steps in to support CMBS market
The US Federal Reserve will start accepting legacy commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) as collateral under its Term Asset-backed Securities Lending Facility (Talf), as the US commercial real estate market continues to struggle.
New FASB standards threaten off-balance-sheet vehicles
The US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has completed new rules on off-balance-sheet holdings that will compel US companies to consolidate on balance sheet billions of dollars of assets previously kept in special-purpose entities (SPEs).
The big clean-up
The US Treasury's Public-Private Investment Program aims to cleanse balance sheets of toxic assets and revive financial markets. But questions remain over who will participate, how assets will be priced and how big a dent the scheme will actually make on…
Financial pricing for the 21st century
Putting a price on assets for which no active market exists is a process mired in complexity and no little controversy. But the pricing models of yesteryear are simply not up to the job. David Patrikarakos looks at the new generation of valuation models…
Column: Paul Taylor
Ratings downgrades reflect a decline in creditworthiness, not an admission that the ratings were wrong in the first place. But that doesn't mean the rating process can't be improved. Paul Taylor
More than 100 firms apply to buy toxic assets under PPIP
More than 100 money managers have applied to the US Treasury to be granted fund manager status under the Public-Private Investment Programme (PPIP) and commence purchasing toxic mortgage securities with public money, the department announced yesterday.
PPIP participants possibly exempt from compensation limits
Asset managers that participate in the Public Private Investment Program (PPIP) with the US Treasury will probably be exempt from executive compensation limits imposed on private entities that have accepted government bail-out funds, Treasury secretary…
US Treasury failing on Tarp oversight, report finds
The US Treasury's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (Tarp) is vulnerable to fraud, abuse and profiteering, due to a lack of proper supervision, according to a highly critical report from the programme's inspector-general published today.