Information Exploitation? A Pre-Crisis RMBS Issuer's Private Information
UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate Working Paper Series, 2016
48 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2016 Last revised: 31 Oct 2017
Date Written: October 25, 2016
Abstract
This paper describes an important borrower risk factor observed privately by the issuer of non-agency RMBS. The private information available to the issuer is drawn from behavioral cues exhibited early in the life of the loan. Mortgage borrowers that make their first six payments at least a day prior to the due date are 14.8 percentage points less likely to become delinquent (equivalent to a 91-point increase in FICO score). This effect is persistent, unobservable at loan origination, and privately observed by the issuer prior to securitization. Both the credit rating agencies and the investor do not appear to be aware of this risk factor. Surprisingly, issuers are quicker to securitize loans with positive private signals rather than less promising loans.
JEL Classification: D10, G21, G30
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation