Caja Madrid is looking to bring to market a securitization backed by loans to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to a bank insider. The deal will be in the E500 million range. Caja Madrid is waiting for the Spanish government to reinstate a guarantee on securitization of loans to SMEs that it has had in place in the past. The guarantee permits banks to reduce their funding costs for these types of deals. The banker from Caja Madrid says the guarantee should come into effect in the next few weeks.
At least two other Spanish banks are planning securitizations of SME loans. Caja de Ahorros de Valencia, Castellón y Alicante (Bancaja), is preparing its second securitization of SME loans which will be roughly E1.2 billion (BW, 4/14). Bankinter also is debating whether it will issue a securitization of SME loans (BW, 1/27).