Securitization

Lawsuit Links Bad Underwriting, Investor Loss at IndyMac 

A class-action lawsuit alleges IndyMac Federal Bank failed to meet its own underwriting guidelines on certain securitized mortgage loans. The suit points toward substantially higher rates of delinquencies and foreclosures on collateral for these highly-rated debt issues. As a result of the collateral’s poorer-than-estimated performance, the complaint says, underwriter rating agencies had to downgrade a number of pass-through certificates, forcing a substantial decline in their value and loss to investors who purchased the certificates.