U.S. and European RMBS: Healthy Competition?

Abstract

In this article, the author examines the reasons why the European market—in particular the U.K. market—appear to be in good health while the U.S. private-label market looks as though it is struggling to get out of the blocks. Owing to the vastly different structures of the mortgage markets (and how they are financed) in the U.S. and Europe, it is not easy to draw definite conclusions. However, the attractiveness of U.K. RMBS helps explain in part why the private-label market in the U.S. has not taken off as some would have expected.