Aussie Roundup: 2001 shaping up as another busy year' for Australia ABS.

Last Year Saw a Record Number of Deals and Several New Trends, According to Rating Agencies

The outlook for the Australasian securitization market this year is buoyant, according to the three ratings agencies active in the sector.

Moody's Investors Service expected issuance to increase by 20% to "at least" A$25 billion compared to the A$21.1 billion achieved during 2000. Fitch agreed, pitching its expectations slightly higher for a 20 to 30% increase in issuance. Standard & Poor's was more circumspect, observing that 2001 was "shaping up as another busy year."

Prime residential mortgage-backed securities continued to dominate the securitization of …