<p class="title">A Reserve Bank committee on Monday suggested standardisation of loan documents and setting up of a government-sponsored intermediary under the National Housing Bank (NHB) for development of the home loan securitisation market.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among other things, the Committee on Development of Housing Finance Securitisation Market also recommended that the central government should exempt mortgage-backed securitisation from stamp duty as has been done in the case of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Securitisation involves pooling of loans and selling them to a special purpose vehicle which then issues securities called pass-through certificates (PTCs) backed by the loan pool.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Well-developed securitisation market can emerge as a reliable complement to other sources of funding for home loan lenders, in addition to reducing volatility in funding for such loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2019 had set up a committee to suggest steps for development of the loan securitisation market under Harsh Vardhan, senior advisor, Bain & Co.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The RBI, which has posted the report on its website, has invited comments from the stakeholders by September 13.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The NHB, the report said, should undertake efforts to establish the loan origination standards (at least for the affordable housing loans) on a priority basis and set up the infrastructure for obtaining and disseminating pool performance data for all securitisation transactions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"An intermediary to promote housing finance securitisation with the primary functions of standard-setting and market making should be established by NHB," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The RBI report said the loan documentation must be standardised for housing loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Documents for the three alternative forms of underlying mortgages [equitable mortgage that is registered, equitable mortgage that is not registered, and registered (legal) mortgage] should be standardised and adopted by all lenders," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, the committee has also recommended that loan servicing process should be standardised and be adapted by all mortgage lenders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A master servicing agreement describing the standardised servicing process should be developed and adhered to by all lenders, it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With regard to stamp duty, the report suggested that the central government should "exempt from stamp duty for mortgage-backed securitisation transaction in the same manner that assignment stamp duty towards ARCs and stamp duty for factoring transactions (which also entail assignment of receivables) have been exempt".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Besides, the government could also consider standardised stamp duty on assignment of mortgage pools and cap them at a reasonable level across all states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In order to ensure that public records are maintained for such exempt transactions, a requirement to register such transactions through a digital registry such as the Central Registry for Securitisation Assets Reconstruction and Security Interest (CERSAI) with a nominal registration fee can be considered</p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee has also recommended that home loans pricing should be linked to an external, objectively observable benchmark (such as the repo rate).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lenders, it may be mentioned, have already initiated the exercise of linking interest rate on loans to external benchmark.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The panel has also suggested that PTCs issued in mortgaged-backed securitisation should be on par with corporate bonds and should not be subjected to withholding tax.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, PTCs issued in mortgaged-backed securitisation should be mandatorily listed if the securitisation pool is larger than Rs 500 crore.</p>
<p class="title">A Reserve Bank committee on Monday suggested standardisation of loan documents and setting up of a government-sponsored intermediary under the National Housing Bank (NHB) for development of the home loan securitisation market.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among other things, the Committee on Development of Housing Finance Securitisation Market also recommended that the central government should exempt mortgage-backed securitisation from stamp duty as has been done in the case of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Securitisation involves pooling of loans and selling them to a special purpose vehicle which then issues securities called pass-through certificates (PTCs) backed by the loan pool.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Well-developed securitisation market can emerge as a reliable complement to other sources of funding for home loan lenders, in addition to reducing volatility in funding for such loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in May 2019 had set up a committee to suggest steps for development of the loan securitisation market under Harsh Vardhan, senior advisor, Bain & Co.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The RBI, which has posted the report on its website, has invited comments from the stakeholders by September 13.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The NHB, the report said, should undertake efforts to establish the loan origination standards (at least for the affordable housing loans) on a priority basis and set up the infrastructure for obtaining and disseminating pool performance data for all securitisation transactions.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"An intermediary to promote housing finance securitisation with the primary functions of standard-setting and market making should be established by NHB," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The RBI report said the loan documentation must be standardised for housing loans.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Documents for the three alternative forms of underlying mortgages [equitable mortgage that is registered, equitable mortgage that is not registered, and registered (legal) mortgage] should be standardised and adopted by all lenders," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, the committee has also recommended that loan servicing process should be standardised and be adapted by all mortgage lenders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A master servicing agreement describing the standardised servicing process should be developed and adhered to by all lenders, it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With regard to stamp duty, the report suggested that the central government should "exempt from stamp duty for mortgage-backed securitisation transaction in the same manner that assignment stamp duty towards ARCs and stamp duty for factoring transactions (which also entail assignment of receivables) have been exempt".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Besides, the government could also consider standardised stamp duty on assignment of mortgage pools and cap them at a reasonable level across all states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In order to ensure that public records are maintained for such exempt transactions, a requirement to register such transactions through a digital registry such as the Central Registry for Securitisation Assets Reconstruction and Security Interest (CERSAI) with a nominal registration fee can be considered</p>.<p class="bodytext">The committee has also recommended that home loans pricing should be linked to an external, objectively observable benchmark (such as the repo rate).</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lenders, it may be mentioned, have already initiated the exercise of linking interest rate on loans to external benchmark.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The panel has also suggested that PTCs issued in mortgaged-backed securitisation should be on par with corporate bonds and should not be subjected to withholding tax.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, PTCs issued in mortgaged-backed securitisation should be mandatorily listed if the securitisation pool is larger than Rs 500 crore.</p>