Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Mortgage Cash Flow Obligation (MCFO)

What it is:

A mortgage cash flow obligation (MCFO) is a debt security that uses payments on a series of mortgages to fund principal and interest payments to MCFO holders.

How it works/Example:

An MCFO pays interest and principal payments at a specified rate similar to a bond. Monthly payments from a pool of underlying mortgages are bundled together and then used to make principal and interest payments on the MCFO. The MCFOs are unsecured and are issued in a range of classes, or tranches, that vary in risk.

Why it Matters:

It is important not to confuse MCFOs with collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs). The two securities function in a similar manner, but CMOs have direct liens on the underlying mortgages (meaning the underlying mortgages are collateral for the CMOs). MCFOs are simply a contract -- MCFO owners have no legal rights to the actual underlying mortgages, meaning that all else being equal, MCFOs are riskier than CMOs.

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