ABS
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ILS pro takes full reins
Rafal Walkiewicz has been appointed as the sole ceo of Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA). The move comes over a year after the ILS veteran was made co-ceo with Michael Guo, who has now stepped down from this role. As part of this reshuffle, WCMA's Vincent Lien in Hong Kong and John Philipsz in Australia will take on joint responsibility .......
Job Swaps 12 May 2016
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VW ABS ramping up
Volkswagen Financial Services' (VWFS) ramping up of its ABS programme in Europe has seen it issue €6bn in transactions since the emergence of the 'default device' scandal back in September 2015. Moody's says that the pace of the car manufacturer's ABS issuance is making it a more important tool within its overall funding mix.
VWFS' securitisation debt steadily grew to .......
News Round-up 12 May 2016
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Treasury paper released
The US Treasury has released a white paper on marketplace lending, which continues the work initiated by last year's request for information (RFI). It reviews over 100 responses from a range of key industry figures and makes recommendations for the continued safe growth of the industry.
The report provides an overview of the evolving industry, reviews stakeholder opinions and provides .......
News 12 May 2016
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Euro secondary still sluggish
Activity continues to be sluggish in the European securitisation secondary market despite the tone remaining firm across the board.
In ABS/MBS, Tuesday saw a flurry of BWICs that traded well, but yesterday auction activity slowed once more. Flows continue to be generally light even though sentiment is positive with prime RMBS and autos, along with select peripheral names attracting the .......
SCIWire 12 May 2016
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Italian insolvency laws praised
Fitch says that changes made to Italy's insolvency laws since mid-2015 are positive, as they should shorten the time that creditors must wait before settling claims. However, it warns that due to the early stages of the process, the laws must be put into practicality before a full judgement can be made.
The agency suggests that the most significant change .......
News Round-up 11 May 2016
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Swiss Re promotes ILS leaders
Swiss Re has named Judy Klugman and Jean-Louis Monnier as co-heads of its global ILS business. Klugman will also remain as Swiss Re's global head of ILS distribution and lead the ILS team in New York. Monnier will take on responsibility for ILS structuring and lead the ILS team in London, while also remaining head of the property and casualty .......
Job Swaps 11 May 2016
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Mid-market fund closes
Czech Asset Management has closed its third direct lending fund complex, dubbed SJC III, with total commitments in excess of US$1.7bn. The fund's direct lending strategy will focus on providing privately negotiated, floating-rate senior secured loans to US middle market companies that generate revenue of US$75m-US$500m.
The fund has exceeded its US$1.5bn target, with all of the capital raised coming .......
News Round-up 11 May 2016
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PREPA bondholders set out offer
The PREPA Bondholder Group is offering to pre-fund the purchase price of the bonds they agreed to buy in 2016 from the commonwealth's utility under the bond purchase agreement (BPA). The group says that this will help facilitate the completion of the restructuring support agreement between the two, which has dragged on since last year (SCI passim).
Under the terms of .......
News Round-up 11 May 2016
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Credit solutions pro hired
SCIO Capital has recruited Sebastian Stoecker as director, reporting to business development and investor relations head Jörn Czech. Stoecker will be responsible for deepening dialogues with European institutional investors and delivering bespoke investment solutions. He previously worked in the banks and credit solutions group at Credit Suisse, with a focus on structured credit.
....... Job Swaps 11 May 2016
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Legacy loan ILS hits market
United Guaranty Corporation (UGC) has obtained US$298.6m in reinsurance coverage for its legacy portfolio book in its latest ILS deal, Bellemeade Re II. The transaction is believed to be the first in the asset class to include a pre-2009 portfolio of mortgage insurance policies.
UGC, a subsidiary of AIG, is funding its reinsurance obligations through the issuance of three classes of .......
News Round-up 10 May 2016
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Insurers' structured holdings slip
Life insurers held more than US$380bn of structured products securities at the end of 2015, which Wells Fargo analysts note represents a decline of approximately US$20bn from year-end 2014. Insurers' balance sheets actually increased 2%, so the decreased allocation to structured products is even greater on a relative basis.
As a percentage of total cash and fixed income, structured products' .......
News 10 May 2016
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Renewables partner poached
David Burton has joined Mayer Brown's tax transactions & consulting practice as a partner in New York. He has decades of experience handling a range of US tax matters, particularly in the renewable energy, equipment leasing and asset-backed finance areas, and will lead the firm's renewable energy group in the New York office.
Burton joins Mayer Brown from Akin Gump .......
Job Swaps 10 May 2016
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CIR methodology finalised
S&P has published its methodology for assigning a rating type specific to the financial obligations that securitisation SPEs enter into with banks or other entities taking on the issuer's credit risk under a contract, such as a swap or liquidity facility. The agency's new counterparty instrument rating (CIR) aims to address an issuer's capacity to meet its financial obligations to .......
News Round-up 10 May 2016
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Euro ABS/MBS starts slow
It was another slow start to the week for the European ABS/MBS secondary market.
Yesterday's session followed on from those of the previous week with another day of very light flows. Lack of significant primary activity continues to hold back any potential for secondary momentum, though spreads continue to be stable.
In the absence of any stronger focus Brexit continues .......
SCIWire 10 May 2016
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ILS affirmed on resets
Fitch has affirmed its ratings on five tranches from four catastrophe bonds - Long Point Re III series 2015-1, Alamo Re 2014-1 and 2015-1, and Cranberry Re. The move follows the agency's annual surveillance review of the notes that includes a scheduled evaluation of the natural catastrophe risk, counterparty exposure, collateral assets and structural performance.
Fitch believes the notes and .......
News Round-up 9 May 2016
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NSR mapping approach updated
Moody's has published its updated methodology for mapping national scale ratings (NSRs) from global scale ratings (GSRs), following a market consultation initiated via an RFC published on 22 June 2015. NSRs are derived from GSRs using country-specific correspondences. The updated methodology introduces specific guidelines for the design of new NSR correspondences, or maps, and changes to existing maps, as well .......
News Round-up 9 May 2016
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Lawsuit 'credit negative' for ABS
A lawsuit filed against Lending Club is credit negative for ABS backed by consumer loans originated through online platforms using a partner bank model, says Moody's. While filed against Lending Club specifically, the outcome of the case could have wider consequences for ABS backed by marketplace loans originated by a range of platforms.
The case, Bethune vs LendingClub Corporation et .......
News Round-up 6 May 2016
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Subprime auto concerns surfacing
The recent 20-year high in US subprime auto ABS delinquencies is not the main concern for investors in the asset class, according to Fitch. The agency says that the influx of new deals from less established names is a more profound issue right now.
Investors are apparently concerned that these new deals are intensifying competition too much, which adds to .......
News Round-up 6 May 2016
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Marsh recruits risk pro
Marsh has hired Abbey Sturrock for its political risk and structured credit practice, serving as svp within the firm's public agency group. In this role, Sturrock is responsible for delivering Marsh's advisory and placement capabilities for the public agency sector across the globe, working with entities such as multilateral development banks and export credit agencies. She joins from Berne Union, .......
Job Swaps 5 May 2016
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China vehicle guidance assessed
China's new guidance on used vehicle sales will have a mixed impact on the recovery rates in auto loan ABS, says Moody's. However, the agency believes it will boost the used car market overall.
The China State Council's new guidance on facilitating the ease of inter-city and inter-provincial used vehicle sales kicks in on 31 May. The rules will scrap current restrictions in .......
News Round-up 5 May 2016
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Mobile phone EIP ABS mooted
As the business model of US wireless carriers moves to further embrace equipment instalment plans (EIPs), they become more likely to issue ABS, says Moody's. Verizon has publically stated its interest in securitisation and there is increased speculation that a deal could be on the cards.
"We have actually been out there talking to rating agencies, we did a presentation .......
News 5 May 2016