PBR: Govt pledges to rebuild 'robust' MBS market

The Government says it will explore ways of encouraging a more 'sustainable, transparent and standardised' mortgage-backed securities market in the UK.

Within its 2009 Pre-Budget Report, the Treasury says it will work alongside the Bank of England and FSA (through the Council for Financial Stability) as well as investors and issuers to establish a broader investor base and lay the foundations for stronger markets in the future.

The Treasury acknowledged the role played by mortgage-backed securities in the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008 and says "a lack of transparency and the complexity of some products may have contributed to the deterioration in market confidence".

However, it believes it is important lenders continue to have access to a diverse range of funding sources, including securitisation markets, but concedes these markets need to be robust, more liquid and consistent with financial and macro-economic stability.