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A covered bond that offers identical credit quality to any other but which is immune from rating volatility should prove a boon to both investors and issuers. A pass-through structure would achieve just that, and NIBC’s decision to explore it should be applauded.
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HSBC’s Souhail Mahjour, one of the CEEMEA syndicate gang’s last remaining bachelors, has finally taken himself off the market. Drawing on his emerging market expertise, Souhail whisked his beloved off to Bagan (it’s in the Mandalay region of Burma, as if you didn’t already know) and with a glorious sunrise as his backdrop, he dropped to one knee and sealed the deal.
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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s inclusion of certain RMBS in the second tier of bank liquidity buckets is a welcome reprieve for the ABS market. But the same committee’s updated capital risk weightings, published at the end of last year, are likely to curb a flood of new demand for RMBS as banks also face lower returns on capital held against securitisations.
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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s decision to widen the range of assets eligible for the Liquidity Coverage Ratio, cut the amount of assets required and delay full implementation is positive for the banking industry and a victory for lobbyists. Banks can now breathe a sigh of relief. But let’s not pretend these changes will do much to help the wider economy.
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With Basel III just two years away, the syndicated loan market is running out of time to face up to the increased costs of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio. Lenders and borrowers watching developments know they must, as they have done before, adapt or die.
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Curing or preventing bank runs with liquid assets is a well-meant, fine idea. But the Basel Liquidity Coverage Ratio is like having an extra bucket of water to pour into an emptying bath. When liquidity starts to drain away, only central banks can put back the plug.
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With European policymakers calling off final discussions to CRD IV and CRR, lenders end 2012 with just as little clarity around new capital rules as they began. But, happily, the year has been about much more than a waiting game for banks.
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Fresh confusion about new tier two structures shows that the debate over the rules for new bank capital has gone on much too long. It’s time for policymakers to nail down the legislation.
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Local Russian banks now see VTB and Sberbank as international players, somewhat removed from their world. At the same time, international banks still do not consider them a real threat. The truth is that both sets of rivals should be worried.
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Throughout this year the credit curve has flattened, forcing investors to chase anything offering a decent spread. But this mood cannot possibly last through the whole of next year. That's why challenged issuers should waste no time in accessing the market while they still can.