Covered Bonds

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.

DZ Hyp has announced plans to issue a €750m four year mortgage Pfandbrief which will compete for investors’ attention alongside other sub-benchmark Pfandbriefe from DekaBank and Overbank. A fourth issuer is also expected to announce a benchmark covered bond in euros, with execution likely before lunchtime on Tuesday.

NordLB Luxembourg attracted exceptionally strong demand for its inaugural renewable energy covered bond on Monday — the first ever to be issued under the country’s new legal framework. This was despite the deal being sub-benchmark size and not eligible for the European Central Bank’s covered bond purchase programme.

After a brisk start to the year, the pace of covered bond supply had already begun to slow by Thursday amid growing concern that the European Central Bank would be compelled to step up purchases, igniting fears of a technical squeeze. Bill Thornhill reports.

A lack of supply relative to 2019 and much more aggressive central bank buying ensured that Banco Sabadell, Royal Bank of Canada and OP Mortgage Bank were able to price covered bonds flat to fair value this week.

Austrian covered bond borrowers Bawag PSK, UniCredit Bank Austria and RLB Oberösterreich found a warm reception for their €500m no-grow deals this week.