What is 'contraction risk' in the context of mortgage-backed securities?

Correct answer: The risk that prepayments will be more rapid than expected when interest rates decline.

Explanation

Contraction risk shortens the life of the MBS, forcing reinvestment at lower rates.

Other questions

Question 1

What is the primary benefit of the securitization process for the economy and financial markets?

Question 2

In a securitization transaction, which entity is responsible for collecting payments from borrowers and handling delinquencies?

Question 3

Which feature best describes a 'bankruptcy remote' entity in the context of asset-backed securities?

Question 4

In a structure with time tranching, how are principal repayments typically distributed?

Question 5

A senior/subordinated structure in an asset-backed security is primarily used to redistribute which type of risk?

Question 6

Which ratio is calculated as the loan amount divided by the value of the collateral property?

Question 7

What is the primary characteristic of a nonrecourse mortgage loan?

Question 8

Which of the following is considered an agency RMBS issuer backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government?

Question 9

Why is the pass-through rate on a mortgage pass-through security typically lower than the weighted average coupon (WAC) of the underlying loans?

Question 11

If a mortgage pool's Conditional Prepayment Rate (CPR) is expected to match the PSA standard benchmark, the PSA is said to be:

Question 12

Which statement best describes the Single Monthly Mortality (SMM) rate?

Question 13

In a sequential pay CMO with two tranches (Tranche A and Tranche B), which tranche has the greatest contraction risk?

Question 14

What is the primary purpose of a Planned Amortization Class (PAC) tranche in a CMO?

Question 15

Which CMO tranche absorbs prepayment risk in excess of the PAC collar?

Question 16

If a CMO's prepayment speed falls outside the initial PAC collar, the PAC tranche is referred to as:

Question 17

Internal credit enhancement for non-agency RMBS includes which of the following?

Question 18

The 'shifting interest mechanism' in a senior/subordinated structure is designed to:

Question 19

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans are typically:

Question 20

Which ratio is used to assess the credit risk of a commercial property by comparing net operating income to debt service?

Question 21

Which CMBS call protection mechanism involves replacing the mortgage collateral with a portfolio of government securities?

Question 22

What is 'balloon risk' in a commercial mortgage?

Question 23

Auto loan ABS are typically backed by which type of assets?

Question 24

During the lockout period of a credit card ABS, principal payments made by cardholders are:

Question 25

Which entity manages the portfolio of debt obligations in a Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO)?

Question 26

What distinguishes a covered bond from a standard asset-backed security?

Question 27

In a CDO structure, the tranche that absorbs the first losses is called the:

Question 28

Structured finance CDOs are collateralized by which assets?

Question 29

If a mortgage has a balloon payment equal to the original loan principal, it is best described as:

Question 30

The risk that principal repayments will be slower than expected is known as:

Question 31

Which of the following is a motivation for issuing a Collateralized Mortgage Obligation (CMO)?

Question 32

In a CMBS, what is the 'equity tranche' often referred to as?

Question 33

A 'hard-bullet' covered bond is defined as:

Question 34

Which of the following describes 'structural subordination'?

Question 35

What is the weighted average maturity (WAM) of a mortgage pool?

Question 36

A 'strategic default' occurs when:

Question 37

In a credit card ABS, what happens if an 'early amortization' trigger is hit?

Question 38

Synthetic CDOs differ from cash CDOs because the collateral consists of:

Question 39

For a lender, a loan with a lower Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio generally implies:

Question 40

A mortgage that allows the borrower to switch from a fixed rate to an adjustable rate is called:

Question 41

In a waterfall structure, the 'first-loss' piece is typically held by:

Question 42

A 'prime' mortgage loan is characterized by:

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of securitization?

Question 44

A 100 PSA prepayment speed implies that the prepayment rate (CPR):

Question 45

Which of the following creates a 'flow' of funds to the different tranches in a securitization?

Question 46

Generally, as the Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio increases, the probability of default:

Question 47

In a credit card ABS, the interest rate paid to investors is:

Question 48

A Collateralized Bond Obligation (CBO) is a type of CDO backed primarily by:

Question 49

Which form of CMBS call protection requires the borrower to pay a penalty equal to the present value of lost interest cash flows?

Question 50

The 'average life' of a mortgage-backed security will likely decrease when: