Private mortgage bond market could stage a comeback

The U.S. Treasury Department will launch an initiative to revive the market for mortgage securities without government backing. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will bring together institutional investors and issuers of mortgage bonds in order to create guidelines for the new venture. Per Bloomberg:

Lew is set to discuss the new effort in a speech today. Treasury will also seek public feedback on how the market should work, the official said.

The market for bonds without U.S. backing, known as non-agency securities, has remained mostly frozen since the 2008 credit crisis as both lenders and investors struggle to regain trust after hundreds of billions of dollars in losses. Though the government is limited in what it can do to force private parties to agree, the effort could invigorate ongoing work by the industry to set new standards for transparency and responsibility.