Capital Markets Today

According to a recent article in HousingWire, the recent push by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to offload pools of non-performing loans sales will increase the depth of the distressed residential mortgage market, which could have positive implications for banks seeking to sell their own non-performing loans. Fitch analysts believe that residential mortgage NPLs are far less of a threat to the GSEs and banks than they were five years ago, but note that 90-plus day past-due loans are still elevated relative to historical averages and relative to their contributions to total NPL levels. Analysts believe this implies that both the GSEs and the banks remain motivated sellers of NPLs. According to Fitch’s data, FDIC-insured banks held a total of approximately $61 billion in 90-plus days past due one-to-four family mortgages at the end of 2014 compared to Fannie and Freddie who held about $86 billion of 90-plus day delinquent loans. These conditions make a robust NPL market a real possibility for the balance 2015 and b