The loans are believed to have been assets held by the firm's KZH-Pondview CLO (LMW, 2/9).The portfolio comprised about 109 different names and about 40 of those names were deals agented by J.P. Morgan. The exact list of credits could not be obtained, but those familiar with the sale said it included high quality assets such as DaVita, Nalco Co., and Dex Media East. Calls to officials at Gen Re were also not returned.
Investors said the transaction was very clean for all the parties involved, although some participants had hoped the flush of paper would create more liquidity for the market in general. One investor was still hopeful to get a piece of the bounty, suggesting that Eaton Vance may sell off some exposure. Others focused on the price that Eaton Vance paid for the portfolio. But one buysider noted that with market liquidity drying up, paying a slight premium would be worth it to buy a plethora of names in small pieces. Eaton Vance has a number of different funds under its umbrella that invest in senior loans.