We’ll get through this awkward patch
Wide liabilities have made pricing CLOs trickier in the past few months. But speakers at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium were optimistic that the arbitrage is OK — so long as you can place those triple As

CLO lawyer joins Schulte Roth & Zabel as partner in London
Schulte Roth & Zabel has hired a CLO expert as partner in its London office 

CLOs go island hopping as EU rules bar Cayman Islands
Swathes of CLO special purpose vehicles are set to be relocated this month following the introduction of European Union regulations designating the Cayman Islands as a money laundering location

Luxembourg welcomes CLOs with regulatory update
Luxembourg updated its securitisation regulations on Wednesday in a move which, among other things, makes the country a more CLO-friendly domicile

Luxembourg opens for CLO business after regs update
Upcoming changes to Luxembourg’s securitisation regulation could deliver a huge boost to its CLO market, in a move that would see the jurisdiction compete with market leader Ireland

CLO extremes will do well in '22 but mezz needs caution: BNP Paribas
The extreme parts of CLOs' capital structures will offer best value in 2022, but investors should be cautious on mezzanine tranches and consider hedges, say BNP Paribas strategists

Lev loan index rule change proposed to meet Sofr switch
Leveraged loan index stakeholders are being asked for feedback on a proposal that would allow the inclusion of loans linked to Sofr and scrap a minimum spread rule

Sofr transition timing puts CLO debt and equity at odds, says BNP Paribas
CLO investors look to have tough conversations ahead on the structure implications of the transition from Libor to Sofr, with BNP Paribas strategists noting CLO debt will benefit from an early move while equity tranches would do better to wait

Past returns: Insurers weigh CLO barbell trade to fight Solvency II
Five years ago in Creditflux we reported that insurers in Europe were putting on a CLO barbell trade in reaction to Solvency II regulations which came into effect in January 2016

FCA draws up new fund structure for long-term assets
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has finalised a new fund structure that is designed to make it easier for defined contribution pension plans to invest in long-term assets

Blacklisting of Cayman Islands will force Euro CLOs to move
The Cayman Islands could soon be lost at sea for CLO managers looking to establish European and EU-compliant deals, after panellists at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium indicated that regulations ruling out use of the jurisdiction are likely to be implemented

Points up front: Risk retention gets less than 5% of airtime
In a sign of how buoyant the CLO market is, risk retention was hardly mentioned at Creditflux’s CLO Symposium. Milbank partner John Goldfinch gave a self-deprecating assessment... 

CLOs face uncertainty as Libor rate deadline looms
CLO equity valuations could be increasingly under the spotlight in coming months, as sources warn of disruption while the market grapples with basis risk between Libor and Sofr in loans and CLO notes

"Do not rush to set up a check-box approach with negative screening and start de-investing"
Instead of rushing through an ESG framework, asset managers need to adopt a long- and short-term approach

CLO market explores move out of Cayman amid EU clampdown
CLO market participants are exploring moving their special purpose vehicles out of the Cayman Islands following amended European Union rules that could designate the territory as a blacklisted tax haven

Breakthroughs come thick and fast for Libor alternatives
Momentum has gathered around initiatives to replace Libor in contracts, with CME Group obtaining a regulatory nod on the term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (Sofr) as well as moving to launch interest rate futures based on banks’ short term credit yields

CME touts forward-looking Sofr term benchmarks
CME Group has begun publishing term benchmarks for the secured overnight interest rate (Sofr) as part of the global push to move away from Libor in financial markets

ESG drive poses little threat to CLO returns or flexibility, says Moody's
Environmental, social and governance investment criteria are not impairing CLOs either in flexibility or performance, Moody's Investors Service has found in a new report

Sofr fix nears launch as CLOs face term rate void
Three months into 2021, grounds for optimism have grown little that a term rate will be found before the end of the year to replace Libor in loans, CLOs, CDS and other contracts. But hopes are rising that solutions such as credit spread adjustments could help mitigate performance uncertainty

European CLO trades wide in secondary amid CLO risk retention issue
A European CLO manager has been caught in a rare situation owing to risk-retention compliance for its 2015-vintage Euro Galaxy IV – and CLO traders have factored this in the secondary market

Six European CLO managers switch to Ireland after Dutch tax hike
European CLO managers have been rapidly shifting their Netherlands-domiciled SPVs to Irish DAC vehicles, according to sources, including PGIM, Barings and Cairn

European CLO managers switch legacy deals to originators ahead of Brexit deadline
A few European CLO managers are undertaking house keeping ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period in January, by switching the method by which their legacy CLOs comply with risk retention from sponsor to originator

Partners triggers frequency switch event on European CLO
Partners Group has made the rare decision to flip the frequency switch on one of its European CLOs

European CLOs should obtain STS certification, urges ACC
The Alternative Credit Council has urged policymakers to allow European CLOs to obtain Simple, Transparent and Standardised (STS) certification in a bid to boost non-bank lending