KBRA Assigns Preliminary Ratings to Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2019-CH2 (SEMT 2019-CH2)

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns ratings to 59 classes of mortgage pass-through certificates from Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2019-CH2 (SEMT 2019-CH2). SEMT 2019-CH2 is an RWT Holdings, Inc. (Redwood) sponsored residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) 2.0 issuance, which includes a significant concentration of collateral that KBRA considers to be “expanded prime.”

The SEMT 2019-CH2 mortgage pool comprises 479 first-lien mortgage loans with an aggregate principal balance of $353,349,238, as of the cut-off date. The underlying collateral consists entirely of fixed-rate mortgages, nearly all of which are fully amortizing.

The ‘CH’ series designation serves to differentiate the transaction from Redwood’s prior SEMT securitizations due to the inclusion of loans that: (i) are not applicable for or do not meet the definition of QM and/or (ii) possess one or more collateral attributes that represent an expansion of the credit parameters used to originate ‘super-prime’ loans in prior SEMT transactions. The expanded credit factors can include loans with credit scores as low as 660, DTI ratios as high as 50 or more, and LTVs above 80-85%. Furthermore, the loans can be originated using non-traditional income qualification, including asset depletion, with prudent guidelines.

KBRA’s rating approach incorporated loan-level analysis of the mortgage pool through its Residential Mortgage Default and Loss Model, an examination of the results from third-party loan file due diligence, cash flow modeling analysis of the transaction’s payment structure, reviews of key transaction parties and an assessment of the transaction’s legal structure and documentation. This analysis is further described in our U.S. RMBS Rating Methodology.

For complete details on the analysis, please see our pre-sale report, Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2019-CH2, which was published on www.kbra.com.

To access ratings, reports and disclosures, click here.

Related Publications: (available at www.kbra.com)

• SEMT 2019-CH2 Pre-Sale Report
• SEMT 2019-CH2 Tear Sheet
• SEMT 2019-CH2 Representations & Warranties Disclosure
• RMBS KBRA Comparative Analytic Tool (KCAT)
• Residential Mortgage Default and Loss Model
• U.S. RMBS Rating Methodology for Assessing Non-QM Risk
• U.S. RMBS Rating Methodology

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About KBRA and KBRA Europe

KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. In addition, KBRA is designated as a designated rating organization by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider, and is a certified Credit Rating Agency (CRA) by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered with ESMA as a CRA.

Contacts

Jack Kahan, Senior Managing Director

(646) 731-2486

jkahan@kbra.com

Fei Han, Analyst

(646) 731-2342

fhan@kbra.com

Tom Reilly, Analyst

(646) 731-2317

treilly@kbra.com