As worrisome industry headlines continue to appear on a daily basis — some informed, some not — financial industry professionals deep in the trenches of the mortgage-backed securitization market are preparing to gather for a crucial industry conference. Held this year from April 29 – May 2 at the Loews Hotel in Miami Beach, the Spring ABS Show will bring together more than 1,500 individuals who originate, structure, rate, sell, package, securitize and invest in mortgage backed securities. Front and center at this year’s conference: the sub-prime mortgage market. “Spring ABS will be where the rubber meats the road with respect to the current uncertainty in the home mortgage market,” said Jade Friedensohn, senior vice president of structured finance at IMN, who hosts the show each year. “Although there are endless discussions on the air and in newspapers, Spring ABS is one of the few venues where all the players with ‘skin in the game’ get together to make deals and set strategy.” Current conditions have created a buzz in the industry that has many professionals scrambling to separate fact from fear, and to arrive at a more accurate picture of the market. To that end, Friendensohn asserted that data tables and media reports cannot substitute for face-to-face meetings with key industry players and business partners. The conference will host panel discussions on U.S. subprime MBS and risk management, and will include participants from FBR Investment Management, Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association, Nomura Securities International, Standard & Poor’s, Wachovia Capital Markets and others. For more information about Spring ABS and to see a complete agenda, click here.