Mizuho

Ford Automotive Finance (China) is gearing up for its second auto loan ABS transaction of the year in China, with bookbuilding slated for August 17. The carmaker is hoping to take home Rmb4bn ($600.2m) from the deal — a larger size than its last trade.

The US investment grade corporate bond enjoyed a huge week of issuance as nine borrowers printed deals on Monday before British American Tobacco delivered $17.25bn on its own on Tuesday and plenty more came on Wednesday and Thursday. Bankers predict another heavy week to follow before supply slows for the traditional summer break.

Conditional books are already oversubscribed for the €240m term loan that funds the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan's acquisition of Mémora, an Iberian funeral services provider.

Hong Kong-listed company Samson Paper is back in the loan market, after a two and a half year absence, for a HK$570m ($73m) refinancing.

Saka Energi Indonesia, the upstream oil and gas arm of state-owned Perusahaan Gas Negara, has opened its $250m loan to retail participants through a group of six banks.

The dollar market got off to a busy start in August with US telecoms heavyweights Verizon and Comcast taking home a combined $5.5bn on the back of strong demand.

Goldman boosts China focus — Mizuho loses syndicate banker — ANZ names Laos CEO — Levfin departure at BAML — HSBC’s REF head resigns — StanChart hires from Citi India

Türk Eximbank’s second entry into the syndicated loan market this year has been a success, with 23 banks signing for $640m on Tuesday — more than double the initial size when the deal was launched in June.

State Bank of India’s new $750m five year financing has been launched into syndication after a 10-strong bookrunner group funded the transaction.

Mémora, the Spanish funeral services provider, has released price talk on a €300m loan package backing its buyout by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan from 3i.

AT&T racked up a monster order book on Thursday, as the US telecoms giant hit the market with a $22.5bn M&A financing.

Forecasts that Europe’s corporate bond market would be all but closed for the summer this week were belied by Unilever on Monday when it launched its biggest-ever euro bond and took some of the tightest corporate pricing ever.