UniCredit’s CPT revival will boost supply hopes

UniCredit Italy has revitalised hopes for the conditional pass through (CPT) covered bond structure which was pioneered by NIBC over a year ago and was at risk of being ignored. The programme lowers asset encumbrance, improves access to funding and can be used to fund a broader range of mortgage assets with full preferential regulatory treatment. It should send a strong signal to other issuers across Europe, but especially those in Spain where an overhaul of the legal framework is on the table.