Germany

Aareal Bank closed a £200m sterling FRN on Wednesday, making its public debut in the currency two decades after entering the UK commercial real estate market.

Sparkasse KölnBonn returned to covered bonds in style on Tuesday, breaking through into the single digits over mid-swaps for its first benchmark deal in five years.

Aareal Bank is the latest German borrower to tap the sterling market, having approached investors with price thoughts for a £200m three year floater.

Sparkasse KölnBonn is set to announce a deal in the belly of the curve, somewhere in the region of five years, bankers told The Cover on Monday. Other issuers, possibly from Europe’s periphery, are also considering deals, said bankers, after further strong performance in the secondary market.

Covered bond issuers decided against bringing benchmark bonds on Friday despite a better backdrop, but there are several potential deals in the pipeline and stronger sentiment should encourage issuers looking to come next week, said bankers.

Münchener Hypothekenbank opened books on a £200m three year floating rate deal on Wednesday morning, becoming the latest borrower to take advantage of a starved sterling investor base.

HypoVereinsbank (HVB) closed a €500m seven year mortgage Pfandbrief on Monday after opting for a more generous starting point than those on recent German deals. It was rewarded with a far larger orderbook, which allowed it to price the bond well inside initial price thoughts.

Covered bond syndicate officials are predicting as many as five deals will be launched next week following a wave of successful core transactions.

Two leading covered bond investors based in Germany have told The Cover why they are investing, despite record low yields, and what strategic shifts they are pursuing.

Bayerische Landesbank sold a smoothly executed €500m 10 year transaction on Thursday, with cash rich investors willing to compromise on tight spreads and low coupons. But peripheral issuers could soon offer them juicer yields, said bankers.

Münchener Hypothekenbank (MuHyp) closed another successful euro benchmark this week and could visit the dollar market later in the year. But it also has its sights on the sterling market, where investors have become increasingly receptive to the tight spreads German borrowers offer.

Persistent interest from domestic investors prompted HSH Nordbank to increase a recent €500m public sector backed bond by €250m.