UK pension partnership launches maiden private credit offering at £581 million
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership (BCPP) is set to commit £581 million in private credit, as part of its maiden offering in this asset class  

West coast pension looks to step up direct lending allocations
The City of Fresno Retirement System will commit $140-160 million to private credit for the next two years, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux. This comes amid a pause in direct lending commitments for the pension fund, which has not committed any capital to this market in 2019

Crescent swoops into mid market CLOs with 'reverse-sequential' ramp-up strategy
Crescent Capital Group is launching its debut CLO backed by middle market loans and has opted to use an unusual ramp-up tactic

45% of insurers look to increase private debt allocations, finds Natixis IM survey
Private debt allocations are expected to grow for 45% of insurers over the next three years, according to a recent survey by Natixis Investment Management. But regulation and internal restrictions are the biggest challenges to greater adoption of private markets allocation

GSO official to join distressed debt manager Kennedy Lewis
The head of capital markets at GSO Capital Partners, who serves as a portfolio manager, will join distressed debt firm Kennedy Lewis Investment Management as a partner in 2020

Minnesota pension to invest $300 million in distressed and private credit funds
Minnesota State Board of Investments is set to invest $100 million in a mezzanine debt fund and $200 million in a distressed debt fund

HSBC notches up first US CLO arranging credit
HSBC has teamed up with Natixis as co-arranger on the latest new issue CLO from Cerberus Business Finance

Arizona pension to deploy up to $700 million a year in private credit
Arizona Public Safety Employee System is looking to deploy $600-700 million in private credit strategies per year in order to meet its target allocation, according to board documents seen by Creditflux.

Azimut hires ex-Dyal official as it aims to buy minority equity in asset managers
Azimut will initially focus on acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset managers with under $3 billion AUM – including private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate firms

Monroe adds four to its opportunistic private credit team
Monroe Capital has expanded its opportunistic private credit team with four hires: Darrick Ginkel, Chris Spanel, Jason Starr and Joseph Valickus

Canadian pension awards €300 million to middle market real estate debt
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has awarded €300 million to a separately managed account focused on real estate across Spain and Portugal. The pension fund did not name who this partnership was with 

Audax goes for longer reinvestment period with second mid market CLO
Audax Private Debt yesterday priced its second CLO backed by loans to middle market companies, according to market sources

Dyal buys 20% stake in direct lender Owl Rock
Neuberger Berman’s Dyal Capital Partners has acquired a 20% stake in direct lender Owl Rock Capital, adding to the roster of private credit specialists Dyal has in its portfolio

Churchill splits double Bs for first mid market CLO in two years
Churchill Asset Management has priced its first middle market CLO of the year in a transaction which underlines how lower-rated CLO debt tranches are increasingly being carved up into senior and junior pieces

Owl Rock gives two hoots after issuing second low-levered CLO
Owl Rock is sticking to its low-levered CLO strategy after pricing Owl Rock CLO II, backed by middle market loans, on Friday

Credit Suisse makes leadership changes after creating head of private credit role
Credit Suisse has reshuffled its senior leadership and introduced a new private credit role

Mid market CLO league tables: springing back into life after September drought
After a September hiatus, three managers returned to mid market CLOs in October to bring issuance back on track as monthly volume exceeded $1 billion for the sixth time this year

Direct lenders' unitranche greed poses challenge to CLO sourcing
European direct lenders are increasingly expressing their preference to be the sole lender in large unitranche deals, whereas the opposite is true in the US, where direct lenders are more focused on syndicating their deals    

The manager, not the market, decides value in direct lending
Mid market loan spreads are contracting, but that’s a reflection of low volatility not excess cash

Managers dispel myth that lenders can’t influence ESG
There’s a growing belief among credit fund managers that they can influence borrowers to take on ESG-friendly practices, contrary to the widely-accepted notion that the business practices of companies are dictated by their private equity owners.

They said it: "Risky unmarked things are not not-risky. It will end in tears"

BlackRock’s first mid-market CLO to be managed by experienced team acquired from Tennenbaum in 2018
BlackRock is on track to become the latest manager to start issuing CLOs backed by loans to middle market companies.

Fund performance
A round-up of fund performance click here.

Tikehau builds private debt secondary platform with senior hire
Tikehau Capital has bolstered its private debt capabilities with the launch of a new secondaries platform