Covered Bonds

Wüstenrot Bausparkasse mandated leads on Monday for a seven year Pfandbrief in sub-benchmark size. The German building society’s transaction is set to emerge ahead of another from Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall which is also due soon.

Deal arrangers expect bank bond supply will peter out after a flurry of deals this week. Issuers have been enjoying fantastic conditions, but most of them have finished their funding plans early so they can lay low throughout a much-feared fourth quarter. Tyler Davies and Bill Thornhill report.

Despite robust redemption volumes, the outlook for covered bond supply over the remainder of 2020 is poor with some bankers expecting no more than a dozen euro deals.

The European Central Bank bought more covered bonds in September than it has done for months and still faces a mammoth task to replace deals due to be redeemed this year. With eligible issuance unlikely to much exceed €10bn, a squeeze of epic proportions is in store.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (Sumitr) mustered a reasonable order book for its debut contractual covered bond issued on Wednesday, and was able to meet its minimum size ambition at a fair spread.

My Money’s Bank’s 10 year Obligations Foncières issued on Wednesday attracted strong demand, largely due to the spread on offer.

The German Ministry of Finance has requested feedback on a draft amendment to the Pfandbrief Act that seeks to bring the country’s laws into line with the EU covered bond directive. The most contentious aspect is the inclusion of a soft bullet maturity.

Helped by the rarity of UK issuance in euros, Yorkshire Building Society’s seven year euro deal on Tuesday was one of the most oversubscribed covered bonds of its size ever launched by any UK issuer, and was priced flat to fair value.

At around €300bn, France is the world’s second largest covered bond market. Yet, unless issuers consider pre-funding for bonds that fall due early next year, supply prospects for the remainder of this year are dim. This, along with stability in the French economy, property market and covered bond ratings, should stand the asset class in good stead.

Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) has mandated leads for the first euro covered bond from the UK since January, My Money Bank has also mandated and, after concluding a roadshow, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank is due this week too. All three bonds will offer a temptingly high spread.

By offering a hefty pick-up over national champions, Bluestep Bank, a Swedish non-standard mortgage lender, attracted a hefty order book for the second deal from its newly established covered bond platform this week.

The ECB is mulling the idea of green Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations to boost green lending. It's a noble aim — but it should work with the policies it has first, if it is serious about environmental impact.