Covered Bonds

The European Banking Authority will soon publish outline proposals setting out the case for European secured notes (ESNs), which according to Moody’s may not necessarily be any riskier than traditional covered bonds.

The seven year area of the covered bond market is in danger of becoming over-supplied after a series of deals around that tenor this week. But with the pace of supply expected to slow and technical conditions still positive the overall health of the market still seems good.

Five year covered bonds issued this week from a trio of issuers got the best executions with the most generously priced Canadian deal from the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec (CCDJ) earning the most praise.

The covered bond market enjoyed one of its most active weeks this year, with as many as eight transactions launched, even as other markets struggled. However, while most issues were well received, the two longest dated deals dragged and showed investor concerns over duration.

OP Mortgage Bank raised €1bn of seven year funding in the covered bond market on Thursday and paid only 1bp more than Nordea’s recent seven year. However, with a €1.2bn order book, it was the least subscribed Finnish covered bond of the year suggesting the tenor has lost some appeal.

Covered bond deals issued in the five to seven year part of the curve on Wednesday by ING Belgium, Berlin Hyp (BHH) and The Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec (FCDQ) were all well received and stood in stark contrast to a 10 year from Nationwide.

Aktia Bank attracted strong demand for its tightly priced covered bond on Tuesday, the issuer’s first since March 2015, and the first from its restructured mortgage business.

ING Belgium has mandated leads for its first covered bond deal since September 2015 and, after being 150 years in operation, Berlin Hyp has announced plans for a ‘jubilee’ transaction in the form of a mortgage backed five year.

The covered bond primary market picked up sharply on Tuesday, with three core European issuers launching deals across a range of tenors, while another announced a mandate.

The widening spread impact of lower European Central Bank covered bond purchases has been a key focal point for the market for most of this year but, given much greater rates volatility, duration has a more important role to play, according to one major covered bond investor.

Commerzbank’s decision to issue a Pfandbrief on the last day of the week strongly implies that supply is going to get much brisker over the next, holiday-shortened week. Its decision paid off, but it clearly questions the longevity of enthusiastic covered bond demand.

Landshypotek Bank was able to close the price gap to its larger Swedish peers on Wednesday when it issued its first green covered bond.