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The Case for Covenants (Part Four)

It’s not surprising so much fuss has been made about the proliferation of cov-lite structures in the leveraged loan market. After all, what was the exception even among larger issuers has become the rule (see our Chart of the Week). Indeed this trend has been growing since 2013 when almost 60% of loan volume lacked…

Private Debt Intelligence - 6/12/2017

Private Debt Fundraising Pool Widens The closed-end private debt fundraising market is broadening, as more fund managers continue to form and bring funds to market. Consequently, the largest private debt firms are accounting for a smaller proportion of total fundraising activity,… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...

Private Debt Intelligence - 6/5/2017

Sovereign Wealth Funds Look to Private Debt Sovereign wealth fund investors are increasingly looking to make private debt investments an element of their portfolios. The latest research from Preqin finds that the proportion of sovereign wealth funds currently investing in the asset class has increased… Subscribe to Read MoreAlready a member? Log in here...

Markit Recap – 6/5/2017

Banco Popular Senior and Sub move in opposite directions The CoCo market received all the plaudits following Banco Popular’s enforced “rescue” by Santander yesterday. But another, more established financial instrument will also be tested by the Spanish bank’s resolution. A question was put to the ISDA Determinations Committee yesterday, asking if a restructuring/governmental intervention has…

Leveraged Loan Insight & Analysis - 6/5/2017

U.S. new issue CLO volume outpaces refinancings for first time in 2017 May marked the first month this year where U.S. new issue CLO volume outpaced refinancing volume. CLO new issue amounted to $9.8 billion in May, slightly down from the $10.2 billion posted in April, taking 2017 issuance to $37.5 billion…. Subscribe to Read

Debtwire Middle-Market – 6/5/2017

Source: Cliffwater Direct Lending Index and BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Effective Yield The red line in the chart is the *Cliffwater Direct Lending Index (CDLI) current yield, which is based on the investment income of the underlying assets held by public and private BDCs. BDCs invest in middle market companies, and the Index comprises…

The Case for Covenants (Part Three)

At a recent debt conference we did what most of our direct lending colleagues are doing these days: complain. Speaking with one long-time practitioner, we mentioned a middle market transaction which was both cov-lite and ebitda adjustment-heavy. “Yeah, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “But it’ll get done.” Therein lies the problem. As we discussed last week, loan…