ABS

  • Insurance banker recruited

    Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA) has appointed Rafal Walkiewicz as md of its insurance investment banking division. Walkiewicz, who will be based in New York, will play a key role in developing further the firm's capital raising and M&A business. He will report directly to WCMA ceo Tony Ursano.

    Joining from Goldman Sachs, Walkiewicz has spent the past 10 .......

    Job Swaps 23 May 2014

  • MiFID II consultation underway

    ESMA has launched the consultation process for the implementation of the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and Regulation (MiFIR). This is the first step in the process of translating the MiFID II/MiFIR requirements into practically applicable rules and regulations.

    MiFID II/MiFIR introduces transparency requirements for a broader range of asset classes; the obligation to trade derivatives on-exchange; .......

    News Round-up 22 May 2014

  • Revolving auto deal debuts

    Ford Credit has priced a unique prime auto loan ABS that brings some welcome diversification to the sector. The US$1.08bn Ford Credit Auto Owner Trust 2014-REV1 deal will revolve for five years, before paying principal with a soft-bullet maturity (see SCI's new issue database).

    "Revolving components are not typical of term retail auto ABS transactions, and a revolving .......

    News 22 May 2014

  • LCC ceiling sensitivities examined

    Moody's has adjusted its parameter sensitivity analysis to clarify the rating impact of sovereign risk on structured finance transactions, specifically following a change in the local-currency country (LCC) risk ceiling. The update shows that the raising of the LCC ceiling does not necessarily mean a rating upgrade.

    "Because the credit performance of a note relies heavily on counterparty performance, risks .......

    News Round-up 22 May 2014

  • MBIA upgrades lift SF ratings

    Moody's has upgraded the ratings of 199 structured finance securities wrapped by MBIA Insurance Corp and two structured finance securities wrapped by MBIA UK Insurance. The action is driven by Moody's upgrade of the insurance financial strength (IFS) ratings of MBIA Corp to B2 (from B3) and MBIA UK to Ba2 (from B1).

    The agency has also upgraded the IFS .......

    News Round-up 22 May 2014

  • Islamic finance group formed

    Moody's has formed a dedicated global Islamic finance group (IFG) to meet the growing demand for Islamic finance credit ratings and research, as both Islamic capital markets and Islamic banking continue to register double-digit growth rates. The unit will deliver independent analysis of Shari'ah-compliant products, financial institutions and takaful insurers to support an improved understanding of the credit risks and .......

    Job Swaps 22 May 2014

  • Capital markets deputy steps up

    DBS has named Eng-Kwok Seat Moey as its next head of capital markets. She was appointed deputy head last year in preparation for the transition.

    Seat Moey replaces Eric Ang, who will stay at the firm as a senior executive advisor, effective from next month. Seat Moey has more than 20 years of experience in capital markets advisory and funds .......

    Job Swaps 22 May 2014

  • Natixis promotes SF trio

    Natixis has made a couple of appointments to its global structured credit solutions (GSCS) team. Emmanuel Lefort becomes GSCS global head, while Hank Sandlass becomes GSCS Americas deputy head.

    Additionally, Kevin Alexander has been named head of fixed income for the global markets group in the Americas. He will supervise all debt platforms and GSCS teams based in New York.

    Job Swaps 22 May 2014

  • US ABS activity picks up

    US ABS BWIC volume approached US$180m yesterday on the back of a couple of quieter sessions. SCI's PriceABS data shows a number of aircraft ABS bonds out for the bid, with the auto and credit card sectors also well represented.

    Among the aircraft names circulating yesterday, the ACAP 2000-1A A1 tranche was talked in the high-40s and at .......

    Market Reports 21 May 2014

  • Irish sovereign ceiling lifted

    Moody's has raised the maximum achievable rating for Irish structured finance transactions to Aa3 from A2, following its upgrade of Ireland's government bond rating to Baa1 from Baa3 (stable outlook). Concurrently, the agency raised the country's local and foreign currency bond and deposit ceilings to Aa3 from A2.

    An improved outlook for Ireland's medium-term public debt levels, the reduction in .......

    News Round-up 20 May 2014

  • NY broker settles SEC charges

    The US SEC has charged Rafferty Capital Markets with illegally facilitating trades for another firm that was not registered as a broker-dealer as required under federal law. Rafferty has agreed to settle the charges by disgorging profits and paying a penalty for a total of nearly US$850,000.

    The SEC alleges that Rafferty agreed to serve as the broker-dealer of record .......

    Job Swaps 16 May 2014

  • Turning tide?

    ECB attitude shift provides securitisation lift

    The re-emergence of the European securitisation market has been helped by initiatives like the European DataWarehouse (SCI passim). This process could be set for greater impetus from the ECB, particularly if a high quality securitisation (HQS) label is introduced.

    The build-out of the European DataWarehouse (ED) has been a key development in the market post-financial crisis. Despite some initial scepticism, .......

    News Analysis 16 May 2014

  • Private SLABS index launched

    Fitch has rolled out the latest of its series of structured finance index reports - a US Private Student Loan ABS Index. The report - which tracks delinquency and default rates for private student loan ABS, as well as new issuance trends - is updated quarterly.

    An improving economy is positioning US private student loan ABS for a more stable .......

    News Round-up 15 May 2014

  • Tariff deficit criteria finalised

    Fitch has released its new criteria for rating Portuguese and Spanish electricity tariff deficit (TD) securitisations, following the publication of an exposure draft (SCI 4 March). There are no rating implications for existing TD securitisations as the criteria framework broadly reflects analytical practices that the agency has already followed when rating these transactions.

    Fitch believes that the ratings of TD .......

    News Round-up 15 May 2014

  • ABS activity leans on auto supply

    US ABS bid-list activity picked up yesterday on the back of higher auto and student loan supply. BWIC volume was around US$120m, with auto names accounting for half of the tranches captured by SCI's PriceABS data.

    Among the auto ABS out for the bid yesterday were three AFIN tranches, including AFIN 2014-1 A1A, which was covered at plus .......

    Market Reports 15 May 2014

  • Portuguese sovereign ceiling lifted

    Moody's has upgraded Portugal's government bond rating to Ba2 from Ba3 and placed the rating on review for possible further upgrade. Concurrently, it raised the country's local and foreign currency bond and deposit ceilings to Baa1 from Baa3 to reflect the country's reduced economic, legal and political risks.

    Consequently, the maximum achievable rating for Portuguese structured finance rated transactions has .......

    News Round-up 14 May 2014

  • SLABS refi bill introduced

    Senator Elizabeth Warren last week introduced legislation - the 'Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act' - that would allow FFELP, FDLP and certain private student loan borrowers to refinance existing loans into new Federal loans at the interest rates offered under the Federal loan programmes. A companion bill was introduced in the House by Representatives John Tierney and George .......

    News Round-up 13 May 2014

  • Aussie reporting requirements enhanced

    The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has published updated and more detailed information on how its new reporting requirements for repo-eligible ABS will be implemented. In particular, all data for each securitisation must now be provided on a monthly basis, no later than seven calendar days after an issuer's specified coupon payment date and the equivalent monthly anniversary in non-coupon-payment .......

    News Round-up 13 May 2014

  • ILS allocations set to rise

    Catastrophe reinsurance capacity is expected to double and reach US$100bn over the next few years, driving more institutional investors to allocate to the ILS sector. The search for yield is pulling ILS instruments towards mainstream investment tools, presenting new challenges for investment managers, according to a new report from Clear Path Analysis.

    On average, ILS investments represent 1%-3% of pension .......

    News Round-up 12 May 2014

  • Container redemptions picking up

    Container ABS investors face a tight technical environment, driven by a slower primary market and a pick-up in redemptions. Container lessors have called 10 deals since end-3Q13, including four year-to-date.

    Textainer is the latest lessor to follow the trend, announcing last week that it will redeem three deals - widely expected to be its 2005, 2011 and 2012 transactions. The .......

    News Round-up 9 May 2014

  • Mexican cat bond affirmed

    S&P has affirmed its single-B rating on the US$140m MultiCat Mexico series 2012-1 class A notes. The move comes after Swiss Re submitted an event notice to the calculation agent, AIR Worldwide Corp, following the 18 April earthquake in the state of Guerrero.

    The MultiCat ILS programme is sponsored by Swiss Re, which reinsures AGROASEMEX, a state-owned insurance institution set .......

    News Round-up 9 May 2014
×