Covered Bonds

Banks have taken a breather from issuing covered bonds in euros after a bumper week for issuance last week, but analysts suggest there is still plenty of interest among investors for further supply in the asset class.

Toronto Dominion Bank has become only the second borrower from outside of the UK to sell a Sonia-linked covered bond, having quickly met enough orders on Monday to launch a £1bn offering in the sterling market.

Royal Bank of Canada’s €1.25bn seven year issued on Wednesday dropped more orders than any covered bond has in years, ending up as one of the least subscribed deals of its size since 2011. The transaction starkly illustrated that the balance of power has shifted in favour of investors and offered a salutary lesson for ambitious issuers, writes Bill Thornhill.

Bank of Montreal (BMO) has issued the first Canadian covered bond in dollars this year, raising $1.75bn of funding at a cost that was equivalent to what it would have theoretically paid in the euro market. National Bank of Canada was quick to follow, announcing a similar deal at the same starting spread.

Všeobecná úverová banka (VUB) has issued the first ever 10 year covered bond from Slovakia, thanks in large part to the high spread that ensured a 0.5% coupon — a return that investors demand — but one that is now out of reach for most European names in this tenor.

Coventry Building Society did well to raise €500m of seven year funding with demand of €1bn on Thursday, but bankers warned that investors are close to reaching their limits on UK exposure, and the next issuer cannot expect the same result.

Rabobank attracted good demand for a dual €2bn eight year and 20 year covered bond offering on Thursday, even though the deal was issued at the tail-end of a busy week and competed for investors’ attention in euros with Coventry Building Society and Všeobecná úverová banka (VUB).

Rabobank is set to open order books for a two-part euro covered bond that takes advantage of the demand for higher yielding debt with the inclusion of a 20 year tranche. At the same time Coventry Building Society is planning a seven year in euros.

Austrian lender Bawag took pride of place among four covered bonds issued on Wednesday with its ultra-long deal being the most subscribed and the first to close order books. The transaction drew more demand than a much larger and barely subscribed seven year from Royal Bank of Canada and brought in twice as many orders as other deals from SP Mortgage Bank and Aareal Bank.

The fall in absolute yields to new record lows has heightened investors’ search for FIG bonds that offer an attractive pick-up. As a result, investors have favoured higher yielding senior non-preferred transactions from the eurozone periphery, ultra-long dated covered bonds and higher yielding central European and Asian covered bonds. By contrast, demand for lower yielding core European covered bonds, while still healthy, has begun to wane following the exuberant levels of demand witnessed in May.

BAWAG, SP Mortgage Bank and Tatra banka have all set their sights on the euro covered bond market, mandating for deals across the maturity spectrum.

Euro and dollar benchmarks issued by Nordea, Lloyds, Korea Housing Finance Corporation (KHFC) and SMBC on Tuesday was a fillip for covered bond market participants suffering through volatile credit market conditions that have caused price expectations to fall.