Fitch Maintains Rating Watch Negative on 169 U.S. RMBS Classes

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings maintains 169 classes from 82 prime jumbo U.S. RMBS transactions issued before 2009 on Rating Watch Negative. A spreadsheet detailing Fitch's rating actions can be found at 'www.fitchratings.com' by performing a title search for 'U.S. RMBS Rating Watches Renewed for September 12, 2016'.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

The prime jumbo classes initially were placed on Rating Watch Negative in September 2015, pending the annual review of Fitch's U.S. RMBS Loan Loss Model and subsequently maintained in March 2016. The U.S. RMBS Loan Loss Model has since been finalized and the Rating Watch is expected to be resolved in the coming weeks. Classes on rating watch will be analysed with the updated model for potential rating and recovery estimate implications.

RATING SENSITIVITIES

Fitch's analysis includes rating stress scenarios from 'CCCsf' to 'AAAsf'. The 'CCCsf' scenario is intended to be the most-likely base-case scenario. Rating scenarios above 'CCCsf' are increasingly more stressful and less likely to occur. Although many variables are adjusted in the stress scenarios, the primary driver of the loss scenarios is the home price forecast assumption. In the 'Bsf' scenario, Fitch assumes home prices decline 10% below their long-term sustainable level. The home price decline assumption is increased by 5% at each higher rating category up to a 35% decline in the 'AAAsf' scenario.

In addition to increasing mortgage pool losses at each rating category to reflect increasingly stressful economic scenarios, Fitch analyzes various loss-timing, prepayment, loan modification, servicer advancing, and interest rate scenarios as part of the cash flow analysis. Each class is analyzed with 43 different combinations of loss, prepayment and interest rate projections.

Classes currently rated below 'Bsf' are at-risk to default at some point in the future. As default becomes more imminent, bonds currently rated 'CCCsf' and 'CCsf' will migrate towards 'Csf' and eventually 'Dsf'.

The ratings of bonds currently rated 'Bsf' or higher will be sensitive to future mortgage borrower behavior, which historically has been strongly correlated with home price movements. Despite recent positive trends, Fitch currently expects home prices to decline in some regions before reaching a sustainable level. While Fitch's ratings reflect this home price view, the ratings of outstanding classes may be subject to revision to the extent actual home price and mortgage performance trends differ from those currently projected by Fitch.

USE OF THIRD-PARTY DUE DILIGENCE PURSUANT TO SEC RULE 17G-10

No third party due diligence was provided or reviewed in relation to this rating action.

Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com.

Applicable Criteria

Counterparty Criteria for Structured Finance and Covered Bonds (pub. 01 Sep 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/886006

Criteria for Interest Rate Stresses in Structured Finance Transactions and Covered Bonds (pub. 17 May 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/879815

Criteria for Rating Caps and Limitations in Global Structured Finance Transactions (pub. 16 Jun 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/882401

Global Structured Finance Rating Criteria (pub. 27 Jun 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/883130

Rating Criteria for U.S. Residential and Small Balance Commercial Mortgage Servicers (pub. 23 Apr 2015)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/864368

U.S. RMBS Cash Flow Analysis Criteria (pub. 15 Apr 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/880006

U.S. RMBS Loan Loss Model Criteria (pub. 12 May 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/880673

U.S. RMBS Master Rating Criteria (pub. 27 Jun 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/882350

U.S. RMBS Surveillance and Re-REMIC Criteria (pub. 17 Jun 2016)

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/881806

Related Research

U.S. RMBS Rating Watches Renewed for September 12, 2016

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/887619

Additional Disclosures

Solicitation Status

https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1011529

Endorsement Policy

https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160912006313/en/

Fitch Ratings
Surveillance Analyst
Sean Nelson
Senior Director
+1-212-908-0207
Fitch Ratings, Inc.
33 Whitehall Street
New York, NY 10004
or
Committee Chairperson
Grant Bailey
Managing Director
+1-212-908-0544
or
Media Relations:
Sandro Scenga, +1 212-908-0278
[email protected]

Source: Fitch Ratings

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