DBRS Morningstar Assigns Provisional Ratings to Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2020-RP1

DBRS, Inc. (DBRS Morningstar) assigned provisional ratings to the Mortgage-Backed Notes, Series 2020-RP1 (the Notes) to be issued by Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2020-RP1 (the Trust) as follows:

-- $410.6 million Class A-1 at AAA (sf)
-- $410.6 million Class A-1-IO at AAA (sf)
-- $439.4 million Class A-2 at AA (high) (sf)
-- $439.4 million Class A-2-IO at AA (high) (sf)
-- $463.6 million Class A-3 at A (sf)
-- $463.6 million Class A-3-IO at A (sf)
-- $484.0 million Class A-4 at BBB (sf)
-- $484.0 million Class A-4-IO at BBB (sf)
-- $410.6 million Class A-5 at AAA (sf)
-- $439.4 million Class A-6 at AA (high) (sf)
-- $463.6 million Class A-7 at A (sf)
-- $484.0 million Class A-8 at BBB (sf)
-- $28.8 million Class M-1 at AA (high) (sf)
-- $28.8 million Class M-1-IO at AA (high) (sf)
-- $24.2 million Class M-2 at A (sf)
-- $24.2 million Class M-2-IO at A (sf)
-- $20.4 million Class M-3 at BBB (sf)
-- $20.4 million Class M-3-IO at BBB (sf)
-- $28.8 million Class M-4 at AA (high) (sf)
-- $24.2 million Class M-5 at A (sf)
-- $20.4 million Class M-6 at BBB (sf)
-- $11.3 million Class B-1 at BB (high) (sf)
-- $10.5 million Class B-2 at B (high) (sf)

Classes A-1-IO, A-2-IO, A-3-IO, A-4-IO, M-1-IO, M-2-IO, and M-3-IO are interest-only notes. The class balances represent notional amounts.

Classes A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, M-4, M-5, M-6, A-6, A-7, A-8, A-2-IO, A-3-IO, and A-4-IO are exchangeable notes. These classes can be exchanged for combinations of initial exchangeable notes as specified in the offering documents.

The AAA (sf) ratings on the Notes reflect 23.65% of credit enhancement provided by subordinated certificates. The AA (high) (sf), A (sf), BBB (sf), BB (high) (sf), and B (high) (sf) ratings reflect 18.30%, 13.80%, 10.00%, 7.90%, and 5.95% of credit enhancement, respectively.

Other than the specified classes above, DBRS Morningstar does not rate any other classes in this transaction.

The Trust is a securitization of a portfolio of seasoned performing and reperforming first-lien residential mortgages funded by the issuance of the Notes. The Notes are backed by 2,388 loans with a total principal balance of $537,797,652 as of the Cut-Off Date (August 31, 2020).

The loans are approximately 158 months seasoned. As of the Cut-Off Date, 98.4% of the loans are current, including 0.8% bankruptcy-performing loans. Approximately 82.8% and 97.6% of the mortgage loans have been zero times 30 days delinquent for the past 24 months and 12 months, respectively, under the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) delinquency method.

The portfolio contains 97.6% modified loans. The modifications happened more than two years ago for 96.0% of the modified loans. Within the pool, 1,403 mortgages have aggregate non-interest-bearing deferred amounts of $72,597,352, which comprise approximately 13.5% of the total principal balance.

There are seven loans (0.2% by balance) that are subject to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgage rules. These loans are designated as Temporary Safe Harbor. The remainder of the pool is exempt due to seasoning.

The Seller, Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp. (CGMRC), acquired the mortgage loans from Fannie Mae following the award of a bid in connection with a competitive auction for the initial pool. The Seller will then contribute the loans to the Trust through an affiliate, Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust Inc. (the Depositor). As the Sponsor, CGMRC or one of its majority-owned affiliates will acquire and retain a 5% eligible vertical interest in each class of Notes (other than the Class R Notes) to satisfy the credit risk retention requirements. The loans were originated and previously serviced by various entities.

As of the Cut-Off Date, the loans are serviced by an interim servicer. Such servicing will be transferred to Select Portfolio Servicing, Inc. (SPS) on October 16, 2020. There will not be any advancing of delinquent principal or interest on any mortgages by the Servicer or any other party to the transaction; however, the Servicer is obligated to make advances in respect of homeowner association fees in super lien states and in certain cases, taxes and insurance as well as reasonable costs and expenses incurred in the course of servicing and disposing of properties.

The transaction employs a sequential-pay cash flow structure. Principal proceeds can be used to cover interest shortfalls on the Notes, but such shortfalls on Class M-2 and more subordinate principal and interest (P&I) bonds will not be paid from principal proceeds until the more senior classes are retired.

The ratings reflect transactional strengths that include underlying assets that demonstrate improving performance in the recent past, lengthy seasoning, and a strong representations and warranties (R&W) provider (CGMRC). Additionally, a comprehensive third-party due diligence review was performed on the portfolio with respect to regulatory compliance, servicing comments, data integrity, payment histories, and title and tax review. Updated broker price opinions were provided for 100% of the pool; however, reconciliations were not performed on the updated values.

The lack of P&I advances on delinquent mortgages may increase the possibility of periodic interest shortfalls to the Noteholders; however, principal proceeds can be used to pay interest to the Notes sequentially, and subordination levels are greater than expected losses for the rated Notes, which may provide for timely payment of interest to the rated Notes.

The transaction employs an R&W framework that includes certain weaknesses such as knowledge qualifiers, a fraud representation that is limited to the time period when the Seller owned the loans, and carveouts for loans with known findings or unavailable information. Mitigating factors include (1) a financially strong R&W provider (CGMRC), (2) a comprehensive due diligence review, (3) automatic or designated breach review triggers dependent on certain conditions, and (4) significant loan seasoning and relatively clean performance history in recent years.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT – REPERFORMING LOANS (RPL)
The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting isolation measures have caused an economic contraction, leading to sharp increases in unemployment rates and income reductions for many consumers. DBRS Morningstar anticipates that delinquencies may continue to rise in the coming months for many residential mortgage-backed security (RMBS) asset classes, some meaningfully.

RPL is a traditional RMBS asset class that consists of securitizations backed by pools of seasoned performing and reperforming residential home loans. Although borrowers in these pools may have experienced delinquencies in the past, the loans have been largely performing for the past six to 24 months since issuance. Generally, these pools are highly seasoned and contain sizable concentrations of previously modified loans.

As a result of the coronavirus, DBRS Morningstar expects increased delinquencies, loans on forbearance plans, and a potential near-term decline in the values of the mortgaged properties. Such deteriorations may adversely affect borrowers’ ability to make monthly payments, refinance their loans, or sell properties in an amount sufficient to repay the outstanding balance of their loans.

In connection with the economic stress assumed under its moderate scenario, (see “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: September Update,” published on September 10, 2020), for the RPL asset class, DBRS Morningstar applies more severe market value decline (MVD) assumptions across all rating categories than it previously used. DBRS Morningstar derives such MVD assumptions through a fundamental home price approach based on the forecasted unemployment rates and GDP growth outlined in the moderate scenario. In addition, for pools with loans on forbearance plans, DBRS Morningstar may assume higher loss expectations above and beyond the coronavirus assumptions. Such assumptions translate to higher expected losses on the collateral pool and correspondingly higher credit enhancement.

In the RPL asset class, while the full effect of the coronavirus may not occur until a few performance cycles later, DBRS Morningstar generally believes that loans which were previously delinquent, recently modified, or have higher updated loan-to-value ratios (LTVs) may be more sensitive to economic hardships resulting from higher unemployment rates and lower incomes. Borrowers with previous delinquencies or recent modifications have exhibited difficulty in fulfilling payment obligations in the past and may revert to spotty payment patterns in the near term. Higher LTV borrowers with lower equity in their properties generally have fewer refinance opportunities and, therefore, slower prepayments.

In addition, for this transaction, as permitted by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, 1.1% of the borrowers are on forbearance plans because the borrowers reported financial hardship related to the coronavirus. These forbearance plans allow temporary payment holidays, followed by repayment once the forbearance period ends. The interim servicer generally offered borrowers a three-month payment forbearance plan. Beginning in month four, the borrower can repay all of the missed mortgage payments at once or opt to go on a repayment plan to catch up on missed payments for a maximum generally of six months. During the repayment period, the borrower needs to make regular payments and additional amounts to catch up on the missed payments. The interim servicer or the Servicer, as applicable, would attempt to contact the borrowers before the expiration of the forbearance period and evaluate the borrowers' capacity to repay the missed amounts. As a result, the interim servicer or Servicer may offer a repayment plan or other forms of payment relief, such as deferrals of the unpaid P&I amounts, forbearance extensions, or a loan modification, in addition to pursuing other loss mitigation options.

For this transaction, DBRS Morningstar applied additional assumptions to evaluate the impact of potential cash flow disruptions on the rated tranches, stemming from (1) lower P&I collections and (2) no servicing advances on delinquent P&I. These assumptions include:

(1) Increasing delinquencies for the AAA (sf) and AA (high) (sf) rating levels for the first 12 months,
(2) Increasing delinquencies for the A (sf) and below rating levels for the first nine months,
(3) Applying no voluntary prepayments for the AAA (sf) and AA (high) (sf) rating levels for the first 12 months, and
(4) Delaying the receipt of liquidation proceeds for the AAA (sf) and AA (high) (sf) rating levels for the first 12 months.

For more information regarding rating methodologies and the coronavirus, please see the following DBRS Morningstar press releases and commentary: “DBRS Morningstar Provides Update on Rating Methodologies in Light of Measures to Contain Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” dated March 12, 2020; “DBRS Morningstar Global Structured Finance Rating Methodologies and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” dated March 20, 2020; and “Global Macroeconomic Scenarios: September Update,” dated September 10, 2020.

The DBRS Morningstar ratings of AAA (sf) and AA (high) (sf) address the timely payment of interest and full payment of principal by the legal final maturity date in accordance with the terms and conditions of the related notes. The DBRS Morningstar ratings of A (sf), BBB (sf), BB (high) (sf), and B (high) (sf) address the ultimate payment of interest and full payment of principal by the legal final maturity date in accordance with the terms and conditions of the related notes.

The full description of the strengths, challenges, and mitigating factors is detailed in the related report.

A description of how DBRS Morningstar considers ESG factors within the DBRS Morningstar analytical framework and its methodologies can be found at: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357792.

Notes:
All figures are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.

The principal methodology is RMBS Insight 1.3: U.S. Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Model and Rating Methodology (April 1, 2020), which can be found on dbrsmorningstar.com under Methodologies & Criteria.

For more information regarding rating methodologies and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), please see the following DBRS Morningstar press release: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/357883.

For more information regarding structured finance rating methodologies and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), please see the following DBRS Morningstar press release: https://www.dbrsmorningstar.com/research/358308.

The rated entity or its related entities did participate in the rating process for this rating action. DBRS Morningstar had access to the accounts and other relevant internal documents of the rated entity or its related entities in connection with this rating action.

Please see the related appendix for additional information regarding the sensitivity of assumptions used in the rating process.

The full report providing additional analytical detail is available by clicking on the link under Related Documents below or by contacting us at [email protected].

For more information on this credit or on this industry, visit www.dbrsmorningstar.com or contact us at [email protected].

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