Florida pension fund backs Atalaya distressed strategy
Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) has committed $100m to Atalaya Special Opportunities Fund VII, as part of the Florida Retirement System’s portfolio.  

Pacific Gas & Electric credit event posed following Chapter 11 filing
The Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee has been asked to rule on whether Pacific Gas and Electric has triggered a credit event, after the San Francisco headquartered firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in its history

$1.8 billion manager Shelton buys credit manager Cedar Ridge
The $1.85 billion multi-asset manager has bought credit-focused firm Cedar Ridge Partners

Virginia pension fund commits to Asian private credit
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) approved a $150 million commitment to the SSG Capital Partners V fund at a January board trustees meeting, a spokesperson has confirmed.  

San Francisco pension plans to deploy $800 million to private credit in 2019
San Francisco Employee’s Retirement System will allocate $800 million to its private credit bucket in the coming year, to reach its 10% target allocation 

Boost for Parker Drilling protection buyers as CDS settles lower than expected
Parker Drilling credit default swaps have settled at a lower value than expected, after physical settlement sell requests drove down the price at auction and increased the windfall for protection buyers

Parker Drilling recovery implied at 45 cents as dealers get set for CDS auction
An auction to settle credit default swaps referencing Parker Drilling will take place today, with bond trading levels of the defaulted company implying a payout to protection buyers of around 45-46 cents on the dollar

Californian pension to invest $500 million in private markets in 2019
San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association plans to invest $500 million in private assets over 2019, according to a presentation by the pension fund’s investment consultant NEPC.  

Sears CDS settles well above bonds on physical settlement squeeze
Predictions that credit default swaps referencing Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp would recover at a high level have been borne out, with an auction to settle the contracts having returned a value of almost 80 cents on the dollar – nearly 30 points higher than where bonds of the bankrupt US retailer have been quoted

Dealers gear up to settle Sears CDS and rule on Ziggo successor
The long wait to settle the final price of Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps will end today with a credit event auction, while investors could also learn whether there is successor to contracts referencing deregistered Ziggo Bond Finance

Sears CDS auction to proceed this week as dealers reject delay request
Dealers on the Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee have rejected a call to delay this week’s auction to settle Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps, although it was a split decision rather than unanimous vote

Delay sought on Sears credit event auction to free up deliverables
The Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee will meet today to consider whether or not to delay a forthcoming auction to settle Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps, after a market participant requested more time to allow a wider pool of deliverable obligations to become available

Fortress targets $6 billion for latest fund in its flagship credit opportunities series
Fortress Investment Group has raised just over $1.05 billion for its latest opportunistic credit fund

Disagreement between Sound Point and former portfolio manager comes to an end
The long-running dispute between portfolio manager Jeff Teach and his former employer Sound Point Capital Management has been brought to an end following a final arbitration award

CDS committee faces another question on Sears as it outlines auction terms
The Americas Credit Derivatives Determinations Committees has published the auction settlement terms related to Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp (SRAC), but faces one more general interest question attempting to amend the auction terms

Ohio pension fund assigns $50 million to distressed debt
Ohio School Employees Retirement System has awarded $50 million to a distressed debt fund managed by GoldenTree Asset Management

New York pension fund allocates €250 million to European credit manager
A $207.4 billion pension fund has awarded the mandate to a multi-strategy credit fund managed by EQT Partners 

Sears ready to roll after DIP bidding war
Iconic US retailer Sears filed for bankruptcy in October. Most CLOs dodged its loans, but the restructuring has seen a DIP bidding war, a CDS committee split and the departure of a CEO.

CLOs can survive defaults, but it could be death by triple Cs
Covenant deterioration in the leveraged loan market has caused sleepless nights for CLO managers who worry that when defaults start to rise, recovery rates will be lower than in past downturns. But market participants are expressing concern that ratings, rather than defaults, pose a greater risk to the market

Sears CDS battle heats up as DC challenged to change auction rules
A high profile battle over Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps has taken a new turn, with one market participant challenging the Americas Determinations Committee to change its rules to avert price manipulation by another market participant in the bankrupt retailer's credit event auction

Sears CDS battle lines set out in market-defining legal fight
Legal sides have set out their arguments in the high-stakes Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit event external review, in what an industry group of asset managers claims is a “unique opportunity to provide clarity on one of the most important definitions for the credit default swap product”

GSO co-founder plans new credit business
GSO Capital Partners co-founder Tripp Smith is launching his own credit management firm, according to a report by Bloomberg

Sear-iously? Isda slams ex-CFTC commissioner over CDS "hyperbole"
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has waded into a gathering furore over Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps

New Zealand Superannuation Fund hires CIO
New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZSF) has appointed Stephen Gilmore to serve as chief investment officer  

Sears CDS settlement extends to 2019 as external review teams line up
Holders of Sears Roebuck Acceptance Corp credit default swaps will have to wait until at least 7 January to resolve the contracts, with an external review decision on deliverables into the defaulted borrower’s credit event auction slated for 21 December