Reading Morningstar DBRS’ reports on
$FIGR ’s securitizations is a must.
Not because I care so much about the exact terms of the notes.
But because these reports are packed with the kind of data I want to know as an investor.
So no worries, I did the job for you.
Starting with the technicals:
1. The pools are mostly junior-lien HELOCs ~ 88% of it.
2. Borrower quality looks pretty solid on paper, with the latest fund reporting a weighted average FICO of 747.
3. Utilization is already very high, around 98%
Now the interesting part is how Morningstar viewing
$FIGR 's underwriting practices, and how it rates it.
The Pros:
Morningstar clearly sees advantages in Figure’s model.
The loans are fixed-rate, fully amortizing, no balloon, and with short draw periods-
Better than many traditional HELOCs.
But.. the Cons:
Since Figure uses proprietary income verification, FICO 9, AVMs/BPOs instead of full appraisals, and electronic lien search instead of title insurance,
Morningstar treats parts of it as less than traditional underwriting and applies valuation haircuts, reduces junior-lien recoveries, and steps up expected losses.
And yet, the senior notes still get AAA ratings, even after the rating agency applies the drawbacks, the structure still supports it.
Looking at actual demand you can see large institutional names showing up in the holdings data.
Like BlackRock / J. P. Morgan exposure that's growing.
I think that's the most promising signal here.
If you want to drill down in
$FIGR 's securitization (and origination) data check the visualization I've built ⏬