Method, system, and computer program product for grading a collateralized mortgage obligation or other asset-backed security

• US 8,504,459 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
• Original Assignee: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
• Inventors: Cui, Jianyuan, Gora, Marian
• Primary Examiner(s): Apple, Kirsten
• Application Number:
  US12/429,640
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 705/36.R
• US Class Current: 705/36.R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for grading asset-backed securities by assigning a relative grade, including one or more of a prepayment risk component and a complexity component, which may take into account one or more of weighted average life, volatility of weighted average life at moderate and stressed yield curve shifts, and complexity, in the absence of price information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assessing a pre-payment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising the steps of:

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security,

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve;

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve; and

ranking the asset-backed security against other asset-backed security to obtain a relative rank of prepayment risk based on weighted average life, weighted average life at a moderate shift in the yield curve, and weighted average life at a stressed shift in the yield curve;

wherein at least one of the determining steps and the ranking step is performed on a processor of a computer.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 50 to 150 bps, and

the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 100 to 500 bps.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a prepayment risk grade to the asset-backed security based on the weighted average lives at moderate and stressed shifts in the yield curve.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the weighted average lives are determined without reference to the price of the asset-backed security.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a volatility of the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at the moderate shift in the yield curve; and

determining a volatility of the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at the stressed shift in the yield curve.

6. A computer program product including instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium and configured to enable a processor to perform a method for assessing prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising the steps of:

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security,

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve;

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve; and

ranking the asset-backed security against other asset-backed security to obtain a relative rank of prepayment risk based on weighted average life, weighted average life at a moderate shift in the yield curve, and weighted average life at a stressed shift in the yield curve.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 50 to 150 bps, and

the weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 100 to 500 bps.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

assigning a prepayment risk code to the asset-backed security based on weighted average lives at moderate and stressed shifts in the yield curve.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein:

the weighted average lives are determined independently of the price of the asset-backed security.

10. A system for assessing a prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising:

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security;

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve; and

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is computer-implemented.

12. A system for assessing a prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising:

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security;

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve; and

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve.

13. A method for assessing a prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising:

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security,

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve; and

determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve;

wherein at least one of the determining steps is carried out on a processor of a computer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the weighted average life at the moderate shift in the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 50 to 150 bps, and

the weighted average life of the stressed shift of the yield curve is calculated from the weighted average life at a yield curve shift of from 100 to 500 bps.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the weighted average lives are determined without reference to the price of the asset-backed security.

16. A system for assessing a prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising:

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security;

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve; and

means for determining a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve; and

means for ranking the asset-backed security against another asset-backed security to obtain a relative rank of prepayment risk based on weighted average life, weighted average life at a moderate shift in the yield curve, and a weighted average life at a stressed shift in the yield curve.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is computer-implemented.

18. A system for assessing a prepayment risk for an asset-backed security, comprising:

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security;

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a moderate shift in the yield curve; and

a calculation mechanism configured to determine a weighted average life of the asset-backed security at a stressed shift in the yield curve; and

a calculation mechanism configured to rank the asset-backed security against another asset-backed security to obtain a relative rank of prepayment risk based on weighted average life, weighted average life at a moderate shift in the yield curve, and a weighted average life at a stressed shift in the yield curve.