CLOs

Norway Arrangers BayernLB and Den norske Bank have launched the Eu50m three year deal for Finansbanken into general syndication.

Austria Austrian utility OMV is still to decide which banks will be arranging its new Eu500m facility.

Bahrain Arrangers Arab Banking Corporation, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Citibank, Commerzbank, Gulf International Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and National Bank of Kuwait signed banks into the $100m three year term loan for Bank of Bahrain Kuwait (BBK) yesterday (Thursday).

A 17-strong arranger group has launched a Eu275m one year loan for Türkiye Garanti Bankasi, helping to restore confidence in the Turkish market. The banks are Alfa Bank, Banca Commerciale Italiana, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Bank of New York, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi (bookrunner), Barclays, HypoVereinsbank, Commerzbank, Crédit Agricole Indosuez, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, ING Barings, Mizuho Financial Group, DKB/Fuji (bookrunner), Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered and Toronto-Dominion Bank.

n JP Morgan this week launched its innovative 'CBO of CBOs', Zais Investment Grade Ltd (Zing), to a warm reception from European investors. The $345m deal is a standard managed cashflow collateralised bond obligation, but instead of high yield and emerging market bonds and loans, it is backed by mezzanine tranches from 20 other CBOs.

Deutsche refines UK student loan template DEUTSCHE Bank this week launched the second securitisation of UK student loans, parcelling the

* Bankers Trust will likely price its £230m securitisation for Tussauds Group, the UK company that operates theme parks, waxworks museums and other attractions, today (Friday). CIBC World Markets, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and West LB will act as co-managers. The 25 year Euro/144A deal will offer three single-A rated tranches and one rated triple-B, by Fitch IBCA and Moody's. The £50m class 'A1', with a 6.5 year average life, and £20m 'A2' bonds, with an average life of 11.4 years, will both be priced over three month Libor.

GREENWICH NatWest has introduced a new funding vehicle for UK housing associations with a £94.25m deal for RSL Finance (No 1) Plc. The transaction securitises loans made to two housing associations, Springboard and Beacon, which in turn are secured on a portfolio of residential social housing. The vehicle is authorised to originate further loans itself, or to acquire assets of Greenwich NatWest. "We have assets that are potentially very fungible," said Paul Townsend, assistant director in asset securitisation at Greenwich NatWest. "It will not be a regular issuer, no more than once every 12 months, but we would like to see a growth factor. Above all we must be sure that there is no degradation of the pool."

NOMURA'S principal finance group this week launched the largest securitisation of UK pubs, parcelling rents and beer sales revenues from its Unique Pub Co into £810m of bonds with maturities out to 25 years. Nomura created Unique in December last year, by selecting 2,614 pubs from the 4,300 in the Inntrepreneur and Spring Inns portfolios that it had bought from Grand Met and Fosters for £1.2bn at the end of 1997.