Investment banks are once again hiring bankers to sell and trade mortgage-backed securities, the packages of loans that were at the heart of the financial crisis, reflecting a belief that the worst is over in the US housing market.
Foreign banks have been particularly aggressive in hiring salesmen and traders of mortgage-backed securities to better compete with American rivals.
UBS and Nomura, two banks that pulled out of the mortgage- backed securities market after suffering losses during the financial meltdown, have started to reassemble their US-based mortgage desks. Royal Bank of Scotland and BNP Paribas also are adding a significant number of employees to their mortgage teams.