More than 3,500 structured finance and securitization professionals are set to descend on Miami Beach, Florida, as ABS East 2014, one of the largest industry conferences focused on the securitization market, begins Sunday afternoon.
Throughout Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the halls and ballrooms of The Fontainbleau Resort will be filled with industry professionals discussing the past, present and future of securitizations.
“ABS East 2014 will provide comprehensive coverage on the revival and strengthening of the US securitization market, along with what our markets should look like in the future, given the importance of securitization to the real economy,” conference organizer Information Management Network said.
Last year, the talk at ABS East was dominated by discussions of housing and student loans.
HousingWire Executive Editor Jacob Gaffney described the mood at ABS East 2013 as “subdued complicity.” From his coverage last year:
Indeed, if one could bottle that sentiment and ship it to finance professionals nationwide, there would be no need for conferences in the first place. The mood — subdued complicity — showed just how shackled the mortgage finance industry remains to the federal government. No one held out hope for meaningful Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reform any time soon. And as the CFPB's Rohit Chopra explained, there are larger implications also for the student loan industry.
And one year later, no real progress has been made on GSE reform and student loan debt still weighs down first-time buyers.
The 2014 edition of ABS East will host sessions focused on many topics, including:
- Identifying the major global macro-economic risks on the U.S. securitization markets
- The future of mortgage funding and the impact of GSE reform in the U.S.
- Legislative and regulatory developments and how they will shape the landscape of the U.S. ABS market
- Outlook for consumer ABS including autos, credit cards, student loans and transportation finance
- State and local level policy initiatives and private label MBS revitalization
- Esoteric ABS
- ABS litigation update
The keynote speakers for ABS 2014 are Patrick Pinschmidt, the deputy assistant secretary and executive director of the Financial Stability Oversight Council at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Joseph Smith, the monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement.
Pinschmidt, speaking Monday at 10:15 a.m. EDT, will give an overview of the FSOC’s annual report and will provide an update on the council’s work.
Smith, speaking Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. EDT, will speak on balancing efficiency and fairness in mortgage finance.
HousingWire will have boots on the ground in Miami and will be reporting from sessions throughout the conference. Check back often for the latest from ABS East.
