Covered Bonds

Deutsche Apotheker- und Aerztebank (Dapo) underlined just how strong the primary covered bond market is on Thursday by wrapping up a busy week's supply with what was arguably the tightest German deal of the year so far.

Korean Housing Finance Corporation (KHFC) issued its first €1bn-sized covered bond on Wednesday and priced the deal inside fair value. At the same time, Société Générale issued a €1bn 10 year green covered bond flat to its curve with eye-catching demand.

Demand for covered bonds has surged higher in recent weeks, even though yields in the asset class have plunged lower. But issuers should not get too excited, as the balance of power is sure to tilt back in the favour of investors if yields carry on falling.

Caisse de Refinancement de l’Habitat (CRH) managed to attract demand of more than €6bn for its two part eight and 15 year transactions issue on Tuesday, with the bonds pricing tighter than where BPCE recently issued similar deals and with considerably more demand — despite a 22bp plunge in yields and with consistent demand from the European Central Bank.

National Australia Bank attracted healthy demand for its £1bn five year Sonia-linked covered bond issued on Tuesday, pricing the deal much tighter than where Commonwealth Bank of Australia issued two weeks ago with more demand and at an equivalent cost of euro funding.

Société Générale has mandated leads for a green covered bond, the second to be issued under its Positive Impact framework. At the same time Sparkasse Pforzheim Calw is due with a sub-benchmark Pfandbrief.

Caisse de Refinancement de l’Habitat has mandated leads for eight and 15 year covered bonds, the same maturities that BPCE chose earlier this month with great success. The two deals will be eagerly watched for size of the European Central Bank's order.

Lloyds Bank returned to the sterling covered bond market on Monday with its first deal of 2020. It capitalised on the scarcity of short-dated Sonia supply with the first three year bond from a UK issuer in six months, which helped it to price its deal marginally inside fair value.

Covered bond spreads are likely to remain well supported next week, with supply set to be thin on the ground. Though spreads are at their all-time tightest levels, market watchers will be closely monitoring the European Central Bank to see whether it lowers its order size in the primary market.

Royal Bank of Canada’s £1.25bn five year covered bond issued at 47bp over Sonia on Thursday was the tightest and largest transaction to reference the rate ever issued by a bank from outside the UK. The depth of demand illustrated that the bid for Sonia products has grown.

The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (FSA) has become the first regulator to recommend a series of proposed amendments that would align its covered bond regime with the EU covered bond directive. EU member states have until July 2021 to implement the directive, and while it seems likely that Spain has the most work to do, other countries — such as Italy, France and those in Scandinavia — will also be obliged to consider important revisions.

Four covered bond issuers got strong receptions for their deals on Tuesday amid unconfirmed rumours that the European Central Bank could be poised to lower the size of its primary market order on covered bonds launched after Tuesday.