HMBS issuance totaled $637 million in August, as lower rates strengthened new production. 93 pools were issued in August, including about $390 million of new unseasoned HECM first participation pools, the highest monthly total for new production this year. There were no highly seasoned pools issued.
Reverse mortgage lenders face a new era of reduced volume, primarily due to the new lower PLFs for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (“HECMs”) in effect since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2018. For the 2018 calendar year, HMBS issuance totaled about $9.6 billion, compared to $10.5 billion in 2017. Even with this month’s issuance, the HMBS market will be hard pressed to equal last year’s totals. HMBS issuers sold 110 pools totaling $580 million in August 2018.
August’s production of original new loan pools was about $390 million, compared to $321 million in July, $331 million in June, $325 million in May, $300 million in April, $277 million in March, $274 in February, and $304 million in January. Last month’s tail pool issuances totaled $243 million, on the high end of the range of recent tail issuance. As predicted last month, we are seeing the benefit of lower interest rates helping new origination volume.
August 2019 issuance divided into 32 First-Participation or Original pools and 61 tail pools. Original pools are those HMBS pools backed by first participations in previously uncertificated HECM loans. Tail HMBS issuances are HMBS pools consisting of subsequent participations. Tails are not from new loans, but they do represent new amounts lent. Tail HMBS issuance can generate profits for years, helping HMBS issuers during challenging times.
New View Advisors compiled this data from publicly available Ginnie Mae data as well as private sources.
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