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Frank Quattrone, Credit Suisse First Boston's technology head, was suspended on Monday following an internal investigation into questionable IPO practices. The banker, who became synonymous with lucrative technology IPOs in the late 1990s, was put on leave after it transpired he had authorised the destruction of documents even though he knew a regulatory investigation was imminent.

DaimlerChrysler, one of the world's big three automakers, will next week finalise which six banks will lead its new Eu13bn revolving credit facility. EuroWeek understands that they will be Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, which have traditionally led Daimler's syndicated loans, along with ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Citigroup/SSSB and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

DaimlerChrysler, one of the world's big three automakers, will next week finalise which six banks will lead its new Eu13bn revolving credit facility. EuroWeek understands that they will be Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan, which have traditionally led Daimler's syndicated loans, along with ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Citigroup/SSSB and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

Rating: A (Fitch) Tranche 1: Eu250m Inhaberschuldverschreibung

Alcatel is to convert the tracking stock for its Optronics subsidiary into ordinary shares, after the French telecoms manufacturer decided that the structure was restricting its ability to manage the unit. Alcatel launched Europe's first and only tracking stock in October 2000 in an attempt to highlight the value in its optical components subsidiary without losing control. Investors in the stock had voting rights in Alcatel, not Optronics, and received Alcatel dividends.

Rating: Baa1/BBB/BBB+ Amount: Eu50m (fungible with three issues totaling Eu450m first launched 29/11/02)

ING and Trust and Investment Bank (TIB) have arranged a $100m one year credit linked note issue for Sistema, one of Russia's largest holding companies. The notes have been priced with a semi-annual coupon of 10.75%. TIB was underwriter and bookrunner for the issue. "This is effectively the first time that a Russian bank has completely arranged such a structure," said TIB executive vice president Artashes Terzyan in Moscow. "There has been some repackaging of existing loans before, but using the structures created by an international bank. In this case, we have created the issuance structure."

Arrangers Barclays, Citigroup/SSSB, JP Morgan, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland met with Six Continents yesterday (Thursday) in London to discuss the final mandate letter and term sheet of the borrower's new £3bn loan. The facility will not be syndicated, but will be taken out by two £1.5bn demerger facilities. These will be sold down to the market.

Empresa Nacional del Gas (Enagas) has requested bids for a Eu750m refinancing. The new facility will refinance a Eu1bn 364 day term loan signed in July 2002. Bankers say that Spanish banks have priced the deal expensively, while international banks have priced it at more competitive levels.

Rating: Aa3/AA- (Moody's/Fitch) Amount: Eu600m

Swap spreads traded in a tiny range this week as war talk paralysed the market. Both five and 10 year dollar swap spreads fluctuated in only a 1bp range between 44bp and 45bp. Since the beginning of the year, the two dollar benchmark maturities have not traded in a greater range than 43bp on the downside and 46bp on the upside.