New developments in the market could include the use of commodity-linked and unrated real estate collateral, according to rating agency analysts who are in talks with bankers. John Schiavetta, managing director and head of the CDO group at Fitch Ratings, said there has been a growing use of unrated, commercial real estate assets, such as whole loans, into CDOs. Some deals have even been comprised 100% of unrated assets in the search for yieldier collateral. "We see this as having real staying power," he said.
Manroop Jhotty, v.p. at Dominion Bond Rating Service, said managers' search for diversification could lead to increased adoption of CDOs with commodity-linked exposure, which so far has only been done in one transaction. "I think that will be an interesting market to watch," he noted.