Non-QM Market Update - November 2022

• ByAHL Funding Press

Table of Contents

Non-qm market update november 2022

Key Takeaways & Highlights

  • Non-QM can help smooth out the rough patches while creating long-term viability for Mortgage Companies and their top originators. 
  • Sprout Mortgage LLC originated 43.2% of the loans, Nexera Holding LLC doing business as Newfi Lending originated 27.2% of the loans, while the remaining 29.6% of the loans were originated by other third-party originators. (Source: Fitch Ratings)
  • Angel Oak Home Loans cuts 15% of staff
  • A total of 27 securitizations, with a combined outstanding balance of $3 billion, are redeemable but have not yet been called.
  • Another reason for the backlog is that the market for Non-QM securitizations is smaller than for securitizations of qualified mortgages,
  • Credit quality of new non-QM securitizations has remained strong.

How is It Panning Out

Homeowners considering refinancing their homes are becoming more hesitant since mortgage rates have more than doubled in the last year. Why refinance when your current mortgage rate is lower than the rate offered on a refinanced loan?

A similar issue currently affects non-qualified mortgage securitizations.

Duration or extension risk – loans that do not pay off at the predicted levels at issuance — is a growing issue with non-QM securitizations, according to Standard & Poor’s.

Similarly, Kroll Bond Rating Agency LLC (KBRA) warned earlier this month that there is a rising backlog of Non-QM residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) that are “callable” or “redeemable,” but have not yet re-entered the market.

According to the research, 27 securitizations are redeemable but have not yet been called, with a total outstanding amount of a little under $3 billion. It’s a growing issue that reflects both the volatility of the securities market and the increasingly inadequate market for securitizing Non-QM loans.

Aside from market instability, another reason for the backlog is that the market for Non-QM securitizations is smaller than the market for qualifying mortgage securitizations since government-sponsored firms such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot acquire them. As a result, the capacity to get funding for Non-QM loans through securitizations is entirely dependent on the private market.

“We’re very bullish about the non-QM space. We see the market continuing to grow, but definitely some volatility there. It’s important that you work with an investor who has the experience to navigate through the volatility, not just in the non-QM space.”

Tom Davis, 
Chief Sales Officer of Deephaven Mortgage

How We Ended Up Here?

The performance of non-qualified mortgage securitizations was unaffected by capital market volatility in the first half of 2022, according to the DBRS Morningstar report, but investors should not be complacent.

Throughout the pandemic, the non-QM market remained extraordinarily robust. However, increasing interest rates and other economic concerns have begun to weigh on the once-thriving industry.

The present rising rate environment reduces the value of existing loans and raises the needed coupon on newly securitized classes, disincentivizing issuer redemption. Previous Non-QM securitizations have often been called within a year of being redeemable, which accords with senior-class investor expectations, but an extension is more likely in the absence of structural measures such as step-up coupons.

Summing Up

Non-QM financing initiatives for creditworthy homeowners who do not meet existing Qualified Mortgage requirements are crucial to the long-term expansion of the housing market in the United States. Despite loan purchasers’ increased demand for non-QM loans, market volatility has left mortgage originators searching for liquidity in this burgeoning market area. The multi-buyer to multi-seller platform from AFL Funding delivers dependable liquidity by allowing originators to access several top buyers through a single counterparty.

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