DBRS pays $1 million to settle CLO combo note rating charges
Credit ratings agency DBRS Morningstar has agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges relating to the rating of CLO combo notes

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

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

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

Differences emerge in shape of new CLO bond buckets
The future of bonds in CLO portfolios is beginning to take shape after amendments to the Volcker rule came into effect in October last year

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

CLO managers gain time with Libor deadline extension
US CLO issuers have been given legroom ahead of the transition away from Libor, but as one CLO investor puts it: “While it’s an important development for the CLO market because it alleviates some of the Libor stress, it does not make the problem go away.”

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

Less credit volatility expected in Q4 despite US election fallout
CLO issuance was expectedly low in the final week of October in the run-up to the US election, as issuers brace for what has historically been a volatility-inducing macro-event. But prominent market participants say the unprecedented economic backdrop resulting from the pandemic means the outcome of the 2020 election is less likely to move the dial as much as in cycles past

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

CLO market splits en route to Volcker rule compliance
Volcker rule amendments freeing CLOs from many of the restrictions of the past decade came into law on 1 October, allowing managers greater flexibility in how they invest their portfolios. But the market is split on how exactly CLO documents should be structured as the first slate of unrestricted CLOs print

Kroll pays $2 million settlement over control failures in rating CLOs and CMBS
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Kroll Bond Rating agency more than $2 million for failures related to rating CLO combo notes, as well as in the CMBS sector

CLOs given workout flexibility as ‘safe harbour’ now viable
From October CLOs will be permitted to hold equity secu-rities resulting from workout situations, say lawyers at Cad-walader, Wickersham & Taft

Volcker change for CLOs may be subject to US election outcome, says LSTA
Changes to the Volcker rule that would allow CLOs to hold up to 5% of their portfolios in high yield bonds could be subject to the outcome of the US general election in November, the LSTA has said

Sidecars give CLOs a shot at driving restructurings
A number of CLO managers are shifting defaulted assets into sidecar vehicles before their transactions close - and sources say a growing number of debt investors are warming to the idea

Fed allows bonds to return to CLOs from October and signals equity rule change
The US Federal Reserve has finalised amendments to the Volcker rule that will allow CLOs to hold 5% bond buckets. The regulation implies CLOs' ability to hold equity securities may also change

It's confirmed: loans are not bonds in " victory for the flow of capital to American businesses"
You're a loan. No, nothing to do with lockdown and social distancing. It's actually a victory for the $1.2 trillion US loan market as a court ruling finds that loans are not securities in the long-running Kirschner v. JP Morgan Chase case

Fed announces first loan subscription date for talf
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced yesterday that the first loan subscription date for the term asset-backed securities loan facility will be 17 June and the first loan closing date will be 25 June

CLO market welcomes 'favourable and surprising' revisions to talf, but issues remain
CLO participants are welcoming the 'many favourable and even pleasantly surprising' revisions to the term asset backed lending facility announced by the US Federal Reserve today to address previous concerns. This could help reignite the market, but some issues were not addressed

VAT guidance leaves CLO managers in 'limbo' as they weigh options
The Dutch Tax Authority’s move to ease the pressure on European CLO managers by grandfathering deals against VAT until at least January 2021 has drawn mixed responses

European CLOs earn VAT wiggle room - and varying grandfathering protection
European CLOs domiciled in the Netherlands have been given some breathing room as various stock exchange announcements suggest the Dutch Tax Authority (DTA) will not retroactively impose VAT bills on CLOs

Fed backs new issue CLO triple As in amended talf programme
The Federal Reserve’s term asset-backed securities loan facility (talf) has been expanded to support CLO triple As