CLOs
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Aon hires new strategic growth leader
Sector developments and company hires
Aon has named Joanna Parsons as strategic growth leader of UK capital advisory within the firm’s reinsurance solutions business, reporting to Ben Love, UK strategic growth leader for reinsurance solutions. In her new role, Parsons will help clients to understand the value of different growth, capital and reinsurance strategies, including in the securitisation space. Based in London, Parsons joins Aon from .......
Market Moves 10 June 2022
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Migrating transactions
'Seamless' switch for CLO domiciles
The switch from the Cayman Islands to alternative domiciles, following the European Commission’s listing of the jurisdiction on the EU AML list, appears to have been painless for most CLOs. This Premium Content article investigates.
The European Commission’s blacklisting of the Cayman Islands earlier this year has triggered the migration of many CLOs to alternative domiciles. Overall, the switch ......
News Analysis 9 June 2022Premium Content
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Landmark Hong Kong cat bond closed
Sector developments and company hires
Peak Re has closed a US$150m 144a catastrophe bond via Black Kite Re, marking the first-ever such deal issued by a Hong Kong special purpose insurer. The cat bond is also expected to be the first to utilise the Pilot Insurance-linked Securities Grant Scheme introduced by the Hong Kong government last year (SCI 4 May 2021).
As part of .......
Market Moves 7 June 2022
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MidOcean bags PE bigwig
Sector developments and company hires
Erik Oken has joined MidOcean Partners as chairman of its private equity business, based in New York. He will work directly with the firm’s private equity investment team, with the aim of adding valuable senior insights and oversight to its thematic investment approach. Prior to joining MidOcean, Oken spent over 30 years at JPMorgan, most recently serving as global .......
Market Moves 1 June 2022
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Franklin Templeton to acquire Alcentra from BNY Mellon
Sector developments and company hires
Franklin Templeton is set to acquire the European credit and private debt manager, Alcentra, from BNY Mellon. The acquisition of Alcentra and its US$38bn in assets under management will see the expansion of Franklin Templeton’s US alternative credit specialist investment manager, Benefit Street Partners, and ramping up of its presence and capabilities in Europe. The transaction will increase the size of .......
Market Moves 31 May 2022
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Fit for purpose?
ESAs urged to revive securitisation market
AFME and Paris Europlace have jointly called for the European Commission and co-legislators to step up efforts to finalise the European securitisation framework and make it “fit for purpose”. The move follows a High-Level Forum, which took place today (31 May), organised by the two associations to discuss the role that securitisation can play in helping to meet Europe’s .......
News 31 May 2022
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Call for more 'hard' credit enhancement
Sector developments and company hires
The rise in Euribor swap rates will lead to materially lower excess spread for euro-denominated consumer ABS that close in the near term, Fitch suggests. The rating agency warns that higher hedging costs at closing mean that more ‘hard’ credit enhancement is needed to achieve the same ratings, particularly for high investment-grade ratings.
“How long this situation persists will depend on .......
Market Moves 26 May 2022
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Arnold & Porter hires new partner
Sector developments and company hires
Arnold & Porter welcomes a new partner to its corporate and finance practice in New York in a move to bolster its offering to lenders and borrowers. Scott Berson joins the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright, with more than 25 years of experience across both secured and unsecured financings. Berson holds expertise on receivables-based transactions across different industries and products .......
Market Moves 24 May 2022
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Wilmington Trust adds new hires
Sector developments and company hires
Wilmington Trust has announced a further expansion to its CLO and loan administration division with three new senior hires. Michael Mooneyham, Ryan Murray, and Madhura Swadi all join the firm in an effort to boost the development of client relationships and increase innovation across the team. They will each join the firm as vps, with Mooneyham and Murrary leading the .......
Market Moves 23 May 2022
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Stonehill announces leadership additions
Sector developments and company hires
Stonehill is set to expand its commercial lending business with four new senior executive hires to its leadership team. Daniel Siegel, Greg Koenig, Nisu Mehta, and Taylor Pike each join Stonehill from Ardent with several decades of real estate business shared between them. The firm hopes the new hires will assist in widening its product offering across all real estate .......
Market Moves 19 May 2022
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Principles-based cybersecurity approach urged
Sector developments and company hires
The SFA has responded to the US SEC’s proposed new rules to enhance and standardise disclosures made by public companies regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and incident reporting. The association believes the proposed rule to be focused almost exclusively on corporate registrants, ignoring the extensive fundamental and technical differences between the potential impact of cybersecurity risks and incidents .......
Market Moves 17 May 2022
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Transportation investment platform founded
Sector developments and company hires
Onex has established a new platform focused on investing in transportation-related assets used for land, air, marine and industrial applications. The strategy will involve investments in hard assets with long lives, contractual cashflows and an element of inflation protection.
The firm has recruited Wes Dick to lead the strategy as md and head of Onex Transportation Partners, based in San .......
Market Moves 16 May 2022
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Accountability required
Further transparency needed for ESG CLOs
CLOs are said to be the perfect vehicle for ESG selection criteria, due to the nature of the asset class. However, calls for further transparency continue.
“We are seeing every manager committed to apply ESG to every transaction – which means they need to comply to strict reporting. Since last year, we have seen deals coming in with positive screening, as .......
News Analysis 16 May 2022
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'Investor-friendly' features introduced
Sector developments and company hires
Rising interest rates and widening spreads have spurred changes in US non-prime RMBS structures that introduce investor-friendly features for senior noteholders, Fitch reports. The move comes amid growing concern over coupon cap shortfalls and lower availability of excess spread.
As such, many issuers have reduced the aggregate servicing fee to 25bp (which historically has been 50bp), while some have introduced .......
Market Moves 11 May 2022
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ICE to acquire Black Knight
Sector developments and company hires
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is set to acquire the software, data, and analytics company, Black Knight. Unanimously agreed by the boards of both companies, the definitive agreement to acquire Black Knight would help boost Intercontinental Exchange’s rapidly expanding mortgage technology business. Black Knight is valued by the cash and stock transaction to hold a market value of US$13.1bn, which translates to US$85 per .......
Market Moves 5 May 2022
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Consolidation considerations
CLO manager acquisition activity set to continue
CLO manager consolidation is expected to continue, following a marked rise in acquisition activity in Q1 this year. However, the trend could be challenging for new entrants going forward and potentially increase exposure to obligor overlap risk.
“I think a lot of it is pent-up demand from the pandemic,” explains Russ Thomas, a director in US structured finance at Fitch. .......
News Analysis 3 May 2022
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A buyer's market
European ABS/MBS market update
Following a flurry of deal announcements (SCI 22 April 2022), the primary European and UK ABS/MBS markets were extensively testing investor demand during the week. With so many deals to absorb, deal performance has been disparate.
In a context of large volumes of paper, UK RMBS transactions were playing a central role with four transactions hitting the market. On .......
News Analysis 29 April 2022
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Annaly Capital Management to sell middle market lending portfolio
Annaly Capital Management has announced its entry into an agreement to sell its middle market lending portfolio to the global alternative investment manager, Ares Capital Management. The US$2.4bn transaction represents Annaly’s middle market assets across the balance sheet of primarily first and second lien loans in defensive, counter-cyclical industries, as well as assets managed for third parties. The transaction offers .......
Market Moves 27 April 2022
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Transatlantic hurdles
CLO managers aim to overcome infrastructure issues
CLO managers are increasingly tapping transatlantic opportunities. However, risk retention financing and transparency requirements can be challenging.
“It tends to be firms that have experience in one market or the other, because they already have some of the structuring expertise and infrastructure necessary to undertake a CLO transaction,” explains Alex Martin, finance partner at Latham & Watkins.
News 22 April 2022
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Ex-employees resurrect Highland
Sector developments and company hires
Ex-employees resurrect Highland
A trio of former senior Highland Capital Management portfolio managers have resurrected the firm under a new moniker, Highland ERA Management. Patrick Daugherty – who was partner, senior CLO portfolio manager and head of distressed/special situations at Highland – is partnering with ex-Highland team members Kevin Rourke and Niles Chura in the venture.Through a sub-advisory .......
Market Moves 22 April 2022
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ESG cat bond fund launched
Sector developments and company hires
Paschal Brooks and Justin Hull have co-founded Sustain ILS Management. Headquartered in New Jersey, the firm is an independent investment manager with a focus on sustainability and ESG within the catastrophe bond and reinsurance sectors. Brooks was previously ceo of AlphaCat Capital, which he joined in December 2011 as a portfolio manager. Before that, he worked at Goldman Sachs and .......
Market Moves 21 April 2022