China Property Woes Spark Longest Mortgage Debt Halt Since 2015

  • Sales of residential mortgage-backed notes set for record drop
  • Plummeting home sales, developers’ cash crunch weaken demand

Residential buildings in the Kangcheng neighborhood of Shanghai, China.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Chinese banks’ issuance of securities backed by home mortgages has plunged, as the crisis in the nation’s property sector drags down a once-popular and relatively safe investment tool.

Sales of residential mortgage-backed securities have fallen 92% so far this year to 24.5 billion yuan ($3.63 billion), according to data compiled from cnabs.com, a website that tracks asset-backed securities in China. There’s been no RMBS issuance since the end of February, the longest dry spell since 2015.