Provides an overview of the subprime mortgage securitization process and the seven key informational frictions that arise. Discusses the ways that market participants work to minimize these frictions and speculate on how this process broke down. Continues with a complete picture of the subprime borrower and the subprime loan, discussing both predatory borrowing and predatory lending. Presents the key structural features of a typical subprime securitization, documents how rating agencies assign credit ratings to mortgage-backed securities, and outlines how these agencies monitor the performance of mortgage pools over time. The authors draw upon the example of a mortgage pool securitized by New Century Financial during 2006. Illustrations.

Tax distortions are likely to have encouraged excessive leveraging and other financial market problems evident in the crisis. These effects have been little explored, but are potentially macro-relevant. Taxation can result, for example, in a net subsidy to borrowing of hundreds of basis points, raising debt-equity ratios and vulnerabilities from capital inflows. This paper reviews key channels by which tax distortions can significantly affect financial markets, drawing implications for tax design once the crisis has passed.

"The global economic and financial crisis has created important needs for fiscal consolidation. This document analyses potential instruments to raise additional tax revenues from the financial sector. The first section reviews the current policy objectives related to the taxation of the financial sector. The second section sheds some light on the current tax treatment of the financial sector. The third section discusses potential tax instruments to reach the goals. The fourth and fifth section respectively assess the advantages and drawbacks of a Financial Transaction Tax and a Financial Activities Tax."--Editor.

"This book fills a very important gap in the mindset of the bond structurer and the investor. Often, the two disciplines approach their tasks ignorant of the perspectives of the other side. But successful structuring requires providing the best value to investors in order to compete, and investors who don’t fully understand structuring will not remain investors for long. Highly recommended!" —Bennett W. Golub, Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. "An excellent primer on asset securitization, clearly written in plain English and with straightforward mathematical expressions. This book is suitable for both business school students and structured finance market practitioners." —Joseph Hu, PhD, Managing Director, Structured Finance Ratings, Standard & Poor’s "In their new work Securitization: Structuring and Investment Analysis, Andrew Davidson et al. reinforce their preeminence in the alchemy of mortgage securitization. Anyone involved in mortgages neglects Andy’s work at his peril." —Richard T. Pratt, Chairman, Richard T. Pratt Associates; Former Chairman, Merrill Lynch Mortgage Corporation "This book provides an insightful and accessible exploration of securitized real estate markets. As such, it provides a valuable service to those active and interested in these burgeoning markets. The authors have done a wonderful job of gracefully integrating a vast and important subject matter. Accordingly, this book also makes for an excellent textbook for those universities offering one or more courses in this rapidly growing field." —Joseph L. Pagliari, Jr., Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University