Mortgage-backed securities commercial

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) represent an important and growing sector of the European securitisation market. However, in many cases there are significant differences between transactions, even those backed by collateral from the same originator, and it is these differences, in both collateral types and structural features, that make European CMBS such an interesting asset class. This chapter focuses on some of the more important aspects that investors should consider when analysing the collateral supporting these transactions and briefly looks at the key features of the common transaction structures. 

The loans underlying commercial mortgage-backed securities are, as the name implies, for commercial, as opposed to residential, properties. CMBSs trade like other mortgage securities but differ in structure. 

Fabozzi, E, and D. Jacob. 1996. The Handbook of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. New Hope, PA FJF Associates. 

But first, you should know what types of bonds are available. Among the types of bonds you can choose from are U.S. government securities, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, mortgage and asset-backed securities, federal agency securities and foreign government bonds. There are also many short-maturity options such as Treasury bills, bank certificates of deposit and commercial paper. 

Some lending institutions penalize borrowers who retire their loans early. In the United States, prepayment penalties are levied only for commercial mortgages, not for residential ones (both are penalized in the United Kingdom). Residential lenders, therefore, cannot be certain of the cash flows they will receive. This is known as prepayment risk. The uncertainty of mortgages cash flows, and the risk associated with it, is passed on to the securities backed by the loans. In this way, an MBS is similar to a callable bond, with the call exercisable at the discretion of the borrowers, and, as will be explained later, it can be valued using a similar pricing model. 

Commercial mortgages are loans made against commercial property. A CMBS is created from a pool, or trust, of commercial mortgages, whose interest and principal payments back the bond s cash. It is rated in the same way as a residential mortgage security and usually includes a credit... 

---