UK

Coventry Building Society followed Santander into the short end on Friday, launching a three year sterling floater – the fourth sterling deal in this format since the start of 2012.

Bank of New Zealand returned to the market on Monday with a long three year benchmark, after postponing a five year trade earlier this month. The change of maturity and capped deal size yielded a far more positive result, with over 100 accounts contributing to the most oversubscribed order book of the year.

Barclays Capital’s new fiscal strength covered bond indices, which adjust the market value weighted exposure of country risk based on fiscal strength, have won the support of investors polled by The Cover.

The secondary market in covered bonds is in danger of breaking, and though it is not there yet, there are concerns over ‘forced delivery squeezes’ in the repo market which may lead to failed trades. Though it has always been the intention of the European Central Bank to improve liquidity, there are some who now say that it is not doing enough. Covered bonds could risk becoming almost like a private placement market if the current situation persists.

Lloyds launched the sixth sterling deal of 2012 on Friday; the longest dated transaction so far this year and one of the most oversubscribed sterling trades in months. Year to date supply in the currency has already surpassed lower bound estimates for total 2012 issuance, with a raft of UK names yet to come to market.

A sizeable new euro bid for UK RMBS emerged this week as Santander UK’s £2.2bn-equivalent Holmes 2012-1 provided the sector’s first issue of the year. The deal raised funding at levels considerably tighter than where it could have issued in covered bonds.

National Australia Bank issued its first sterling covered bond on Thursday, choosing the same three year floating format that worked for Barclays and Nationwide earlier this week.

The non-eurozone, no-euro theme in the covered bond market continued on Thursday with the announcement of two debut currency benchmarks, one of which was priced. After the successes of Barclays and Nationwide, National Australia Bank issued its first sterling dea, Lloyds mandated for another sterling deal and UBS is set to bring its first dollar deal.

Nationwide printed £650m of three year floating rate notes to demand on Monday, the second UK covered floater in that maturity in as many working days. Barclays and Nationwide’s covered FRNs highlight the growing demand for UK covered bonds and the broadening range of investors wanting a piece of the market.

Nationwide has kept up the flow of sterling issuance since the start of 2012, following Barclays and RBS with a three year covered bond priced at 165bp over three-month Libor on Monday. As with Barclays’ three year last week, the deal’s floating rate format makes heavy participation from bank treasuries — some of which will be awash with cheap ECB cash — highly likely.

ABN Amro and Credit Suisse maintained primary market momentum on Wednesday, adding another €2.25bn of supply. ABN Amro paid above initial price thoughts to ensure smooth execution of its 10 year, while Credit Suisse was able to price its five year inside UBS’s offering last week — making it the tightest five year euro print of the year.

RBS has issued the second sterling covered bond this year and its debut deal in the currency. It chose to differentiate itself from Barclays’ 10 year deal with a longer 12 year. In so doing, it attracted a strong order book enabling it to price in line with guidance and the deal has since performed well, in contrast to Barclays.