Citi pays steep price to push out principal deal on day of disaster

Citi was the sole issuer with a primary deal on either side of the Atlantic amid Thursday’s markets bloodbath, as its EMEA securitization team cleared an RMBS backed by UK buy-to-let loans — not for a client, but for Citi as principal. The US bank may have taken a hit of at least £7m to its planned P&L for the issue, but successfully sold £294m notional of bonds to investors on the worst markets day since 1987.