Latest News

Ford and Harley Davidson in the Market with TALF Deals

July 2, 2009 – Ford Motor Credit Co. and Harley Davidson are in the market with Term ABS Loan Facility (TALF)-eligible deals.

Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Get OK on 125% LTV

July 2, 2009 – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have received the green light from their regulator to refinance underwater homeowners with loan-to-value ratios as high as 125%.

FDIC, Advanta Reach Settlement

July 2, 2009 – The FDIC has settled with Advanta Bank Corp. regarding the latter’s alleged deceptive and unfair practices that are in violation of section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

• Hard Times Ahead for U.K. Credit Card Deals
• Mortgage Rates Ease in Latest Freddie Mac Survey
• Harp Loan-to-Value Maximum Raised

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Features

Surprising Surge in Home Equity Loans

July 2, 2009 – Data suggests that many banks binged on home equity loans last year and began tightening standards only in the second half, after housing prices had already staged a dramatic retreat.

Realtors Foresee Rebound in Second Quarter

July 1, 2009 – Existing home sales bottomed out in the first quarter and sales should be up 3% when the final numbers come in for the second quarter.

CRE Sector Still Suffers Despite Economic Decline Slowdown

July 1, 2009 – The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) first quarter Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Quarterly Data Book released yesterday reported diminished demand for commercial real estate, although negative conditions for the sector are waning.

Credit Card ABS Remain Resilient Amid Stress

July 1, 2009 – Credit card ABS excess spread has fallen to levels not seen in ten years, according to the latest Credit Card Indexes report from Fitch Ratings. The rating agency added that U.S. consumers are still falling behind and defaulting on their credit cards.

U.K. Nonconfroming RMBS Hold Up Well

July 1, 2009 – Even in a severe stress scenario, U.K. nonconforming RMBS should not suffer losses nearly as severe as investors feared.

Regulatory Report Cites Better Mods But Finds Issues

July 1, 2009 – A regulatory report on the pace of mortgage modifications was a decidedly mixed bag, showing that although servicers have increased the number of sustainable modifications, serious delinquencies among prime borrowers continue to rise.

Commercial Property Could Become Operating Albatross

July 1, 2009 – Growing weakness in commercial real estate is poised to transform banking companies into accidental landlords -- with a new set of headaches.

TALF Eligibility Issues Still Surround Tweaked S&P Methodology

June 29, 2009 – Last Friday, Standard & Poor’s released its final report containing tweaked methodology for rating U.S. conduit or conduit/fusion CMBS transactions from that originally proposed.

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