Loans and High Yield

The UK government has filled one of the last gaps in its offer of financial help to companies struggling with effects of the coronavirus, by removing the cap of £500m revenue, which had barred many medium-sized companies from accessing government loans — raising the possibility that high yield bond issuers could tap loans for a variety of purposes.

ArcelorMittal, the steel company headquartered in Luxembourg, has signed a $3bn new loan facility with four banks.

Chinese local government financing vehicle (LGFV) Qinghai Provincial Investment Group Co has missed a coupon payment on a dollar bond yet again as its financial troubles continue.

Chinese chemical company EcoGreen International Group has returned to the offshore loan market after a three year break for $150m.

US banks this week reported stellar returns from trading and underwriting in the first quarter, even as the bottom line was hit by gigantic writedowns and reserves for credit losses, as the economic and financial disruption from the coronavirus crisis took its toll.

Hellman & Friedman-owned alarm company Verisure announced a new European high yield bond on Thursday, the first after a drought of more than seven weeks. The deal is a conservative place to restart high yield primary markets, but bankers said there is appetite for more challenging issuers to come.

Banks have been building their financial sponsor coverage teams on a record period of deal making. Now they have a different fight on their hands, but bankers are playing down the threat of a 2008-style meltdown, writes David Rothnie.

Several investors have told GlobalCapital of their concern for the outlook of UK universities as borrowers. They worry that the spread of coronavirus will hit revenues, lower the demand from international students and may in the end hasten a shift towards remote learning.

Christopher Mallon has joined Lazard’s financial advisory team as a senior adviser concentrating on global restructuring, at a time when that line of business is likely to become very busy.

Chinese hotel company Huazhu Group, previously known as China Lodging Group, is asking lenders’ consent to waive some of the financial covenants on a recent syndicated loan.

Insolvency and restructuring practitioners have been catapulted into an unprecedented whirlwind of activity by the coronavirus, as even healthy companies suddenly find themselves staring over a financial precipice. In the UK, the government will change insolvency rules to ease these situations, but specialists believe there is more to be gained by using existing laws better.

JP Morgan has taken an $820m writedown on its book of bridge loans, nearly halving its investment banking revenues for the first quarter. However, the bank is not hurrying to exit these positions. Chief executive Jamie Dimon said “a couple” of its bridges could be syndicated this quarter if conditions are supportive.