Securitization is converting assets into securities, which are financial instruments that can be purchased and sold on financial markets in the same way that stocks, bonds, and futures contracts can.

When it comes to real estate, securitization refers to transforming mortgages provided by banks and other lenders into securities that may be sold to investors.

Securitization, in other terms, is the process of converting non-marketable assets into marketable assets. Asset-backed securitization is converting current assets into marketable securities, whereas future-flows securitization is the process of converting future cash flows into marketable securities.

Loans, such as vehicle loans, house loans, and future cash flows, such as ticket sales, credit card payments, car rentals, or any other type of future receivables, are examples of assets that might be securitized.

Financial instruments that represent an ownership interest in or are secured by a separated income-producing asset or pool of assets are created due to this process. A collection of assets collateralizes securities.

These assets are secured by personal or physical property (e.g., automobiles, real estate, or equipment loans). However, they can also be unsecured (e.g., credit card debt, consumer loans).

A framework in which a corporation’s or financial institution’s assets are turned into a package of securities backed by these assets by careful packaging, credit enhancements, liquidity enhancements, and structuring.

While securitization means different things to different people, it’s worth thinking about the fundamental principle and keeping in mind that systems vary widely in detail.

The following are two excellent definitions:

• The packaging of defined pools of loans or receivables with a suitable level of credit improvement and resale of these packages to investors is called securitization.
• Securitization is the process of unbundling risk and packaging cash flows to meet the needs of investors in terms of yield, maturity, liquidity, and risk.
• The repackaged assets are sold to investors as collateralized securities (backed) by the underlying pool and its accompanying revenue stream.
• Securitization is putting together a homogeneous pool of assets, typically retail assets like car loans, mortgage loans, or trade receivables, but can also be corporate or commercial real estate loans.

When is securitization is required.

The necessity for banks and other financial institutions to realize value from assets on their balance sheets has been the driving impetus behind securitization. Residential mortgages, corporate loans, and retail loans, such as credit card debt, are typical examples of these assets.

Securitizations are used for a variety of purposes. The following are some of them:

Additional Funding Needs: Banks and other financial institutions require additional capital to lend and invest. Another type of funding is securitization. Banks and financial institutions can convert their assets (loans) into marketable securities such as bonds and notes by securitizing their obligations. The bank can raise funds from the capital markets by securitizing assets.

To get cheaper funding: The interest paid on Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) is frequently lower than the interest paid on the underlying loans. This results in a cash excess for the originating entity (Bank/FI).

Capital adequacy requirements: In the recent past, capital adequacy rules for banks pushed banks to securitize their assets. The amount of capital necessary to support the balance sheet is decreased significantly by securitization, resulting in cost savings or allowing banks/FIs to deploy money to other, potentially more profitable, businesses.

Enhanced Liquidity: The motivation for securitization is that banks and financial institutions desire to generate additional funds by leveraging the strength of their well-performing loan portfolio.

Securitization’s Benefits

Securitization comes with a plethora of benefits. In the section on the necessity of securitization, some of the benefits were discussed. The following are some of the benefits of securitization:

• Originator Advantages

  Securitization offers issuers or originators, such as banks and financial institutions, a viable alternative to traditional on-balance-sheet financing. It enables them to convert previously illiquid assets into liquid assets and enhance their company volume without increasing their equity capital. Securitization can also provide issuers with the following advantages:

  Off-balance-sheet financing: Securitization can be an excellent way to manage your balance sheet. When a corporation’s liabilities and assets have different maturities, or when there is a “duration” mismatch, the company might be severely harmed by an interest rate change.
  In reality, an increase in the cost of funds that is not immediately offset by the rise in the return on assets puts pressure on the interest margin. The corporation can mitigate this risk by securitizing specific assets.

  Risk management: A securitization can help with risk management since it allows (parts of) credit, liquidity, interest rate, and maturity risk to be shifted to investors via various structural processes.

  Securitization has the potential to improve performance ratios such as return-on-equity and return-on-assets. Indeed, securitization has a leverage impact since the proceeds of the asset-backed issue can be utilized to fund new prospects (for example, internal or external growth) without raising the capital base. As a result, securitization is more than just a source of capital; it can also improve a company’s profitability.

  Money recycling: The originator effectively recycles the funds through securitization. Banks can offer a massive volume of loans thanks to securitization. It assists banks in increasing asset turnover.

  Reduced borrowing costs: The originator can sell the securitized securities at a lower interest rate because a rating agency has rated the securitized securities. This allows you to borrow money at a lower interest rate.

• Investor Advantages

  The securitization process can benefit investors in a variety of ways:

  High yield: Compared to similarly rated government, bank, or corporate bonds, asset-backed securities (ABS) and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) often offer a yield premium. This yield premium is due to the more complicated structure in general and some unique risk factors in particular.

  More comprehensive Investment Options: Because pools of assets are repackaged and divided into discrete tranches or sections with specified maturity and risk (based on credit rating) profiles, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities offer a wide range of investment options.

  Due to their many credit enhancement levels, asset packaging allows investors to engage in a particular market while being safeguarded against event risk and rating downgrading.