Danske Bank

Creditors have rejected the chance to sell to the Austrian province of Carinthia discounted bonds in Heta, the bad bank created in 2009 to dispose of the assets of Hypo Alpe Adria.

KfW is set to print a 10 year euro benchmark, following in the footsteps of Belgium and Finland, this week as issuers attempt to conclude funding before the European Central Bank’s meeting on March 10.

Daimler brought its second triple tranche bond of the year to market on Tuesday, as primary issuance in the corporate market began to crank up.

The board of Sponda, the Finnish property investment firm, has decided to raise €220.8m in a rights issue to partially repay a bridge loan.

Two European sovereigns mandated for benchmark bonds in euros on Monday leading what is expected to be a scramble to get in and out of the primary market before the European Central Bank meeting on March 10.

Finnish property firm Sponda appointed just one lender to provide its €325m bridge loan, which will fund its acquisition of six prime properties in Helsinki.

Sanoma, the Finland headquartered media and publishing company, has retained support from its relationship banks in a €500m refinancing deal. But two banks did not return, as the group sought to slim down its syndicate.

Concerns over the exodus of real money investors from the covered bond market were put to rest this week as a series of deals met exceptionally strong demand, with the sea change in sentiment being most conspicuous in the French sector.

Swedbank and SEB this week launched deals that attracted the largest order books and the widest distribution of any covered bonds issued this year, along with the smallest concessions.

Danske Bank launched its largest ever share buyback on Tuesday, having exceeded its regulatory capital requirements by more than expected.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) funded itself more cheaply with a 15 year covered bond than it did with a five year this week. It followed Swedish Covered Bond Corporation (SCBC) which issued at the same spread as earlier deals despite a market widening.

Five issuers from core Europe priced covered bonds this week but the standout success, which could have been priced without the European Central Bank’s help, was the first Austrian deal of the year from Erste Bank.