A report from MountainView Capital Group shows that despite strong demand from investors, very few home equity loans and reverse mortgages were offered in the secondary market during 2013.
‘Second-lien trading activity during 2013 was light and down from 2012 levels, both in total unpaid principal balance and number of transactions,’ says Jonas Roth, a managing director at MountainView Capital Group and co-author of the report. ‘This was primarily due to a finite number of sellers, and 2014 looks like more of the same.’
MountainView reports that in 2013, it was an advisor on 10 second-lien deals, involving $604.5 million of unpaid principal balance (UPB). The largest deal involved non-performing loans with $319 million of UPB. In 2012, the company was an advisor on 13 deals, involving $619.3 million of UPB.
In 2013, non-performing second liens were more in demand than performing second liens, according to the report. However, large financial institutions, the major holders of non-performing second liens, were unmotivated to sell these assets, even though massive amounts are migrating to an out-of-statute category.
Due to the dwindling supply of second-lien loans, some investors are starting to model non-performing first liens, based on the fear that they cannot invest the capital they raised, according to the report.
‘Bright spots for 2014 are that there are more niche buyers with state-specific inquiries, significantly more capital on the sidelines looking for product and stronger pricing versus what we have seen in the past,’ says Roth.
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