CLOs
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Alternative CLO ETF announced
Sector developments and company hires
Alternative CLO ETF announced
Market Moves 7 August 2020
Alternative Access Funds (AAF) has announced the registration of its new AAF First Priority CLO Bond ETF, which is scheduled to become effective on 14 August and - if all approvals and launch objectives are met - begin trading in early September under the ticker ‘AAA’. The new ETF will focus its investments in US dollar-denominated .......
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Middle market JV agreed
Sector developments and company hires
Middle market JV agreed
Market Moves 5 August 2020
PennantPark Investment Corporation (PNNT) has formed a joint venture with the private credit investment business of Pantheon to create PennantPark Senior Loan Fund I (PSLF). The strategic transaction seeks to enable PennantPark to leverage its middle-market lending capabilities and capitalise on compelling senior loan opportunities amid historic market volatility. Pantheon has invested US$35m in capital to .......
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MM CLO test failures rise
Sector developments and company hires
MM CLO test failures rise
Market Moves 4 August 2020
The continued deterioration in credit quality of issuers due to the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a large number of US middle market CLOs failing a variety of tests for the first time in 2Q20, according to Fitch’s latest report on the sector. Of the 58 MM CLOs covered in the report, 23 failed at least one .......
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Euro CLO equity edges ahead
Sector developments and company hires
Euro CLO equity edges ahead
Market Moves 3 August 2020
European CLO equity cashflow returns average 9.3% year-to-date and - as all CLOs in reinvestment are currently paying - the full-year 2020 cashflow return is likely to be low-teens, according to a new report from JPMorgan CLO research analysts. As such, European equity pieces have edged ahead of their US counterparts, currently returning 8% year-to-date .......
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Nuanced approach
Call for clarity in defining ESG
A nuanced approach to ESG considerations is emerging within the securitisation market. Nevertheless, the Covid-19 pandemic has put social and governance factors in the spotlight.
Anuj Babber, head of ABS research at M&G Investments, says: “The securitisation industry is at the infancy of incorporating ESG considerations into its credit and investment decisions. What we are seeing is that .......
News 3 August 2020
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GSE results improve
Sector developments and company hires
GSE results improve
Market Moves 31 July 2020
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have reported sharply improved Q2 results, despite the ongoing housing market dislocation as a result of Covid-19. Fannie Mae said net comprehensive income was US$2.53bn, compared to US$476m in Q1, while Freddie Mac had income of US$1.94bn compared to US$620m in Q1. Both GSEs had much lower than usual profits in .......
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AGs fight Madden rule
Sector developments and company hires
AGs fight Madden rule
Market Moves 30 July 2020
The attorneys general of California, Illinois and New York have filed a suit against the OCC’s ‘valid when made’ rule (SCI 1 June), which they claim would allow the federal government to pre-empt state usury laws and allow third-party entities “to prey on vulnerable” borrowers. The AGs note that the ability to pre-empt state usury .......
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Lag lustre
Slower recovery in CLOs provides advantages and opportunities
Secondary CLO trading desks either side of the Atlantic are reporting greater re-engagement from the buy-side, which is helping to support prices. However, such support appears to be insufficient to prevent the CLO market lagging the recoveries seen elsewhere.
“CLOs have underperformed equity and other credit markets,” concedes Miguel Ramos Fuentenebro, co-founder of Fair Oaks Capital. “But in my view, .......
News Analysis 30 July 2020
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CLO ETF prepped
Sector developments and company hires
CLO ETF prepped
Market Moves 29 July 2020
Janus Henderson Investors has filed a preliminary registration statement with the US SEC in connection with the Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF (JAAA), which is expected to launch on 22 October and will be offered to US investors. The fund will be managed by portfolio managers John Kerschner and Nick Childs, while Jessica Shill will serve as .......
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ILS issuance remains resilient
Sector developments and company hires
ILS issuance remains resilient
Market Moves 28 July 2020
US$2.8bn of property catastrophe bond limit was placed in 2Q20, bringing the total issued year-to-date to US$6.5bn, according to Aon Securities’ latest ILS Update report. In comparison, 2019 saw a total of US$5.4bn in property cat bond limit placed for the entire year. The total amount of property cat bonds outstanding is marginally down on 2019 .......
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CLO equity defies predictions
Sector developments and company hires
CLO equity defies predictions
Market Moves 27 July 2020
US CLO equity cashflow performance is defying pessimistic predictions, according to a new report from JPMorgan CLO research analysts. As of 23 July reporting, US CLO equity on average paid 8% cashflow year to date (based on 842 tranches or circa 70% of the universe) and the report estimates 89% of equity is paying, compared to .......
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ReoCo restructuring in the works
Sector developments and company hires
ReoCo restructuring in the works
Market Moves 23 July 2020
The Leviticus SPV issuer is set to implement a ReoCo structure, having appointed Credito Fondiario as the servicer to carry out all core ReoCo activities. The main purpose of the ReoCo is to encourage third-party acquisitions at auctions above auction base prices or to repossess real estate assets at otherwise empty auctions and re-sell them .......
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Green shoots
US middle market CLOs showing signs of recovery
As the broader CLO market sees increasingly significant levels of new issuance, middle market CLOs are also starting to see the green shoots of recovery. However, the sector still faces its own unique challenges, while providing some opportunities as well.
New middle market CLO deals have begun to reappear and the latest of which, Owl Rock’s US$440m Parliament .......
News Analysis 22 July 2020
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Canadian CMBS forbearance highlighted
Sector developments and company hires
Canadian CMBS forbearance highlighted
As of the June 2020 remittance reports for the Canadian conduit CMBS sector, 48 loans totalling C$559.9m were on the servicer's watchlist for coronavirus-related relief, according to DBRS Morningstar. In most of these instances, the servicer’s commentary confirmed that borrowers were granted loan modifications and/or forbearances.The majority of these loans are secured by retail .......
Market Moves 22 July 2020
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Support network
US CLO prices supported by a variety of factors
US CLO secondary market prices have come back a long way since the Covid-driven collapse in March. Spreads have softened a little since June’s tights, as summer lethargy seeps in, but are still benefiting – for now, at least – from positive broader credit market sentiment underpinned by government support for the wider economy and the CLO market’s own .......
News Analysis 21 July 2020
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UK Mortgages offer disclosed
Sector developments and company hires
UK Mortgages offer disclosed
Market Moves 20 July 2020
M&G Investment Management (MAGIM), on behalf of one of its managed funds - M&G Specialty Finance Fund (£) SCSp – has disclosed that it has made several approaches to the board of UK Mortgages Limited (UKML) with a view to making a recommended cash offer for UKML, all of which have been rejected. The most recent approach .......
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No rush
CLO investors have time on their side for resets and refis
Post-Covid US CLO issuance is gathering pace for new deals, but refinancings and resets are few and far between so far. There are opportunities for both types of restructuring, but for the vast majority of deals, there is no rush for equity investors to initiate the process.
There have only been two US CLO refinancings since the Covid .......
News Analysis 17 July 2020
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Euro CLO par burn rises
Sector developments and company hires
Euro CLO par burn rises
Market Moves 16 July 2020
After a relatively stable Q1, European CLO managers burnt an average -19bp of par in Q2 (compared to -3bp in Q1), according to JPMorgan’s latest report on the sector. Among 44 European managers, 14 managers built par in 2020 YTD by an average +19bp, while the remaining 30 managers burnt par by an average -41bp. .......
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Conflict-free trading
Benjamin Arnold, founding partner and ceo of Meraki Global Advisors, answers SCI's questions
Q: How and when did Meraki Global Advisors become involved in the securitisation market?
A: Meraki Global Advisors was founded with the rebellious determination to deliver conflict-free trading to asset managers. Meraki is a global multi-asset outsourced trading and operations firm that was launched in April 2019.We identified a need among the more sophisticated multi-asset hedge fund community .......
The Structured Credit Interview 16 July 2020
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Structural changes
New US CLO docs anticipating Volcker
Most of the US CLOs currently marketing are already being structured to incorporate changes resulting from the revised Volcker rule (SCI 26 June). At the same time, new deal documentation is also enabling greater flexibility for managers to participate in restructurings.
Despite the Volcker rule changes not being effective until 1 October, new deals are already being .......
News Analysis 15 July 2020
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LCX platform expanded
Sector developments and company hires
LCX platform expanded
Market Moves 13 July 2020
LendingClub has expanded its LCX platform to make it easier for registered institutional investors to analyse, price and bid on loans at pre-issuance, down to the individual loan level. When it was first launched, LCX enabled the company to sell previously originated loans at, above or below par, from its balance sheet. For the first time, LendingClub .......