France

A covered bond liability management exercise for Dexia Municipal Agency that closed on Wednesday resulted in the creation of two new issues totalling Eu2bn, with a planned new eight year tranche cancelled due to a lack of demand for that maturity.

A new burst of issuance hit the covered bond market this (Thursday) morning after a breather yesterday, with GCE Covered Bonds and UniCredit Bank Austria launching new deals and Caja Madrid offering an increase of a 2014 issue.

ABN Amro built the biggest order book of five deals in the market yesterday (Tuesday) and the issuer told The Cover that its Eu1.5bn 12 year transaction was part of a strategy to lengthen the bank's maturity profile. Meanwhile, Caisse de Refinancement de l’Habitat was satisfied with a rare 12 year deal.

GCE Covered Bonds announced a mandate for a new covered bond this (Wednesday) morning, but otherwise the primary market was quiet after yesterday’s five euro benchmarks and one dollar issue.

Banco Popular Español launched an exchange offer yesterday (Monday) featuring the first ever swap of senior unsecured debt into covered bonds.

Five issuers piled into the euro covered bond market in one of its busiest ever sessions this (Tuesday) morning to take advantage of supportive conditions. Supply included the first deals in a maturity longer than 10 years since June.

More peripheral covered bonds are being mulled for launch in the coming week, but any further issuance by lower ranked credits will have to contend with a weakening of demand, as hinted at by sub-Eu1bn deals for Italy’s Banco Popolare and Spain’s Bankinter yesterday (Thursday). Meanwhile, Compagnie de Financement Foncier has completed a third foray into the US 144A market.

Dexia Municipal Agency launched an offer to exchange Eu14.5bn of obligations foncières into three new, longer dated benchmarks today (Wednesday) in the first test of such liability management exercises in the covered bond market.

Banco Popolare is lining up to launch what would be the fourth new Italian covered bond in 10 days, while the dollar market could be reopened today (Wednesday).

Italy’s UBI Banca is today (Monday) following through with a seven year benchmark covered bond that it postponed in early summer, while the UK’s Nationwide Building Society is preparing to return to the market for the first time in three years and Deutsche Kreditbank has priced a Eu500m five year issue.

La Caixa this (Thursday) morning launched the fourth cédulas in a week, a three year issue that bankers away from the leads said was ambitiously priced, after Banco Sabadell yesterday became the first Spanish issuer to reach a Eu1bn deal size since July. The Spanish covered bond was the only new benchmark in the market this morning, after issuers including CM-CIC and Royal Bank of Scotland wrapped up new issues yesterday.

UniCredit launched its first benchmark obbligazioni bancarie garantite issue of the year this (Tuesday) morning to extend the market’s post-holiday reopening to Italy, while Spain’s Banco Popular Español is offering a record spread for a Eu500m minimum three year cédulas issue.