Welcome to The S-Curve
Now you will be able to receive the latest announcements, product updates, and our insights on the mortgage market in real time.
The name of the blog, the S-Curve, is a reflection of our logo and the central feature of our prepayment model. S-curves are seen in nature in many phenomenon, from population growth to prepayment and default models. Our first S-curve, in the early 1990s, used the arctangent function, then piece-wise linear functions, and evolved over time to be more complex and vary by FICO, loan size and LTV. This evolution encapsulates both the timeless nature of fundamental relationships and constant innovation to describe them better over time.
We hope you find the information useful and we look forward to your feedback.
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Empowering Our Community: AD&Co's Commitment to DEI and Social ImpactEventsAt Andrew Davidson & Co., Inc. (AD&Co), our dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been a cornerstone of our values. We established our DEI Committee in 2020, following the tragic murder of George Floyd. Despite the evolving landscape, including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision impacting affirmative action in higher education, we remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment that strengthens both our employees and the company.
On August 15, we came together at our New York office for a meaningful community service project. Partnering with Volunteers of America® Greater New York's Operation Backpack®, our team assembled and distributed backpacks filled with essential school supplies for unhoused students across New York City. These backpacks, which serve elementary, middle, and high school students, included a personal touch: handwritten notes wishing each student a successful school year. We believe every child deserves access to the resources they need to thrive, and we're honored to contribute to easing their transition into a new school year.
AD&Co team assembled to fill backpacks with essential school supplies for unhoused and underprivileged children. Later that day, our team participated in the "Other Side of Wall St." walk led by Kamau Ware of Black Gotham Experience. The walk began with a naming ceremony introducing members of North America's first Free Black Settlement. As we explored the historical impact of these early settlers on New York City, we were struck by the absence of formal recognition for their contributions in the city's landmarks. Kamau's insightful stories and imagery brought to light the rich yet often overlooked layers of history, reminding us of the importance of acknowledging and celebrating all aspects of our past. As a Black woman in mortgage finance, I take pride in working for a firm like AD&Co, which not only supports but actively promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our ongoing efforts are a testament to our commitment to elevating our employees, enhancing our business, and advancing our industry.
AD&Co learning about the history of Manuel Plaza, a beautiful gathering spot dedicated to the impact of African Diaspora in the development of New York.
The S-Curve Archives
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Thoughts
Summary
In 2021, Andrew Davidson & Co. Inc. (AD&Co) proposed a benchmark cohort approach to setting Ability-to-Repay (ATR) Qualified Mortgages (QM) standards. Successful benchmarks based on data are model-free and transparent, and the cohorts must perform consistently in comparison to one another and across time. Our original work used data through the early stages of the pandemic when non-performing loan percentages skyrocketed.
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ThoughtsHow Lowering Capital Costs Affects Higher-Risk Loans
Government-sponsored enterprises (or GSEs) are companies that provide guarantees and financing to originators through the mortgage secondary market. The size and resilience of the GSE secondary market maximizes diversification and liquidity which reduces financial risk and cost of capital. This benefit accrues to conforming borrowers through lower mortgage rates and resiliently available financing.
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ProductsThe release of Andrew Davidson & Co., Inc.’s (AD&Co) new generation of financial engineering tools marks a shift to a new reality; when the traditional benchmark for MBS valuation, the LIBOR/ Swap yield curve, becomes unavailable. Our recent Product Release email informed our readers about the change. In short, our users can:
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ThoughtsFHFA held a listening session for interested parties on its proposed rule on the GSE process for credit scores. The objective is making mortgage underwriting and pricing more accurate and more fair while balancing practical implementation by firms in the mortgage ecosystem. Along with many others, I had the opportunity to provide insights on this proposed rulemaking.
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ThoughtsIn our January 19th blog entitled, A More Equitable Lending System Will Not Be Created by Accident, we described the efforts it will take to overcome not just bias in lending today, but the systemic factors that have limited access to credit in the past and have created an unjust system.
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ThoughtsIn this short blog post I discuss some developments taking place in the flood insurance landscape in the US and look ahead at a few potential directions things could go. I suggest that universal catastrophic flood insurance coverage with a continuation of the introduction of risk-based pricing would be a significant improvement.
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ThoughtsIntroduction
The Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) entered conservatorship in September 2008. One could view the succeeding thirteen years as a journey back to financial stability with a refined operating model that looks more like a financial utility than a hedge fund. This business model is more compatible with a fair lending mission for a standard-setter that maintains secondary markets under an effective regulator. The GSEs remain the largest part of the housing finance backbone and a resilient funding source during economic stress.
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Thoughts
Around 75% of white American families were homeowners in the first quarter of 2020, according to data from the United States Census Bureau. However, only 44% of Black American families owned their homes at the same time.
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Thoughts
According to a report by the Research Institute for Housing America, climate change risk is rapidly increasing in the housing industry and will continue to demand more attention and regulation in the near future.
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Thoughts
Mortgage market participants are keenly aware that the Federal Reserve has been scaling back its UST and MBS purchases and factoring the outcomes of its actions on stakeholders across markets.