Freddie Expands Mortgages Eligible for Multifamily Securitization

Government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) Freddie Mac (FRE) is expanding the base of products eligible for its multifamily Capital Markets Execution (CME) program, which supplies the GSE’s multifamily securitization effort. Senior housing mortgages and conventional structured finance transactions are now eligible for securitization into K Certificates, multifamily mortgage securities backed by loans purchased through CME. “Building on the success of our conventional CME mortgage product, we are now making it available to other existing product offerings to better meet the funding needs of our customers,” said Freddie vice president of multifamily and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) David Brickman, in a statement. He added: “Our securitization model is becoming very popular with our borrowers and accounted for almost 70% of our conventional mortgage volume in the first quarter of 2010.” Senior housing mortgages are refinance or purchase loans for seniors apartments, independent living properties, assisted living properties and properties with a limited amount of skilled nursing or dementia care. Conventional structured finance products are for active multifamily investors who are able to pool together similar assets. The multi-asset flow facility (MAFF) and multi-asset crossed facility (MACF) transactions will now be available for securitization, and will feature better pricing when compared to pricing for the portfolio option. Write to Diana Golobay. Disclosure: the author holds no relevant investments.