--Aaron Johnson
Standard & Poor’s has placed on watch for downgrade two hybrid collateralized debt obligations arranged by Citigroup and UBS after events of default were triggered a week ago. Moody’s Investors Service took negative actions on both deals last month, placing UBS’s Rockbound CDO I on negative watch after downgrading and keeping on watch Citigroup’s Octans CDO III.
The $280 million Rockbound CDO I, which closed in July, is managed by Brigadier Capital Management, a unit of Cohen & Co. that is still in the fund-raising stage, according to spokesman Joe Kuo. He declined further comment. Only the junior AAA tranche of the CDO is on watch.
Four classes of the $511.4 million Octans III, including two of the most senior tranches, are on watch at S&P. All six rated classes of the Harding Advisory-managed Octans III have been downgraded in the past, with the tranches initially rated AAA, AA and A currently rated A+, BBB+ and BB. All three deals in the Octans series have been on watch at Moody’s since September.
Officials at Harding, Citigrou and UBS did not immediately return phone calls.