Covered Bonds

Investors have been discounting UK bank bonds in the secondary market in recent weeks, as it becomes increasingly unclear how a change of prime minister will affect the country’s approach to leaving the EU.

Muenchener Hypothekenbank (MuHyp) was set to issue a $600m three year Reg S dollar Pfandbrief on Tuesday, at close to the tightest levels seen this year and with exceptionally strong demand. The stellar outcome encouraged Lloyds Bank to announce a follow-on deal of its own.

Banco di Desio e della Brianza took advantage of a recent 100bp rally in Italian government bonds to issue an Obbligazioni Bancarie Garantite (OBG) on Tuesday with a negative new issue premium.

Muenchener Hypothekenbank has mandated lead managers to execute a new Reg S dollar Pfandbrief. The deal follows a series of German dollar covered bonds issued at the short end of the curve this year.

GlobalCapital invites market participants to nominate their favourite covered bond lead managers, issuers and deals by the close of play today. The shortlists will be decided this week-end and voted on by the market from the start of next week.

The pace of growth in green mortgage financing is improving, but it is still woefully inadequate, particularly with respect to covered bonds where there are no price advantages. Fiddling with mortgage risk weights while the world burns will not change behaviour quickly enough.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) took full advantage of strong market conditions this week to issue a $1.75bn three year dollar benchmark and a €1.25bn eight year. The two deals followed a recent Sonia-linked £1bn three year and a euro benchmark issued at the start of the year.

The pace of issuance looks set to slow down over the next few weeks, but a few opportunistic transactions could emerge given strong market conditions, bankers said on Thursday.

Société Générale attracted strong demand for its inaugural green Obligations de Financement de l’Habitat on Monday. The green covered bond put the French issuer at the “forefront of positive transformation” and “sets a standard”, said a spokesperson.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) returned to the covered bond market for the second time this week following its dollar benchmark and, thanks to a late rise in yields, the eight year deal offered more than twice the return of CIBC's eight year issued a week ago.

Berlin Hyp this week attracted strong and broad interest for a green mortgage Pfandbrief that, thanks to a small rise in yields since the deal was mandated, narrowly avoiding being priced with a negative return.

Activity in the green covered bond market is improving with Berlin Hyp (BHH) mandating leads for a green mortgage covered bond this week, just a few days after Société Générale issued its first green covered bond.