Securitization is similar to a sale of a profitable business into a separate entity. The previous owner trades the ownership of that unit, and all the profit and loss that might come in the future, for present cash. The buyers invest in the success and/or failure of the unit, and receive a premium which is usually in the form of interest for doing so. In most securitized investment structures, the investors' rights to receive cash flows are divided into "tranches": senior tranche investors lower their risk of default in return for lower interest payments, while junior tranche investors assume a higher risk in return for higher interest.
Why Securitise
Securitization is designed to reduce the risk of bankruptcy and thereby obtain lower interest rates from potential lenders. A credit derivative is also sometimes used to change the credit quality of the underlying portfolio so that it will be acceptable to the final investors. As a portfolio risk backed by amortizing cash flows - and unlike general corporate debt - the credit quality of securitized debt is non-stationary due to changes in volatility that are time and structure dependent. If the transaction is properly structured and the pool performs as expected, the credit risk of all tranches of structured debt improves; if improperly structured, the affected tranches will experience dramatic credit deterioration and loss.
Securitisation in the USA
Securitisation has evolved from its tentative beginnings in the late 1970s to a vital funding source with an estimated outstanding of $10.24 trillion in the United States and $2.25 trillion in Europe as of the 2nd quarter of 2008. In 2007, ABS issuance