Moody’s updates RMBS market comparison tool

Moody’s Investors Service has announced that it has published its updated global residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) market comparison tool, which enables “comprehensive comparison” of the characteristics of active RMBS markets, including collateral characteristics, collateral loss assumptions, typical structural features, and counterparties.

According to the ratings agency, the active RMBS markets are the US with 61 transactions in 2018, followed by the UK (37) and Australia (20). Other active RMBS markets include Japan, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

The updated version of Moody’s market comparison tool includes “refreshed” securitisation performance and key market characteristics, both on collateral and structural features.

“Structural and collateral features have remained mainly unchanged over the past years however observed some regulatory changes in some of the markets and movements on the market share of the top lenders in some countries,” the Moody’s announcement states.

“Moody’s expected loss and MILAN CE assumptions have remained mostly unchanged compared to 2017.”

The ratings agency also recently announced updating its methodology for analysing risks associated with reverse mortgage securitisations.

The ratings agency now considers future movement in prices of the homes in the pool, expected mortality rates of borrowers, the likelihood of borrowers moving out of their home prior to death, and the extent to which the assets or reverse funds provide the transaction sufficient cash to make the required payments on the bonds, among other factors.

[Related: Moody’s revises analysis of reverse mortgage risks]