Moody’s upgraded the rating of covered bonds issued by Aktia Real Estate Mortgage Bank (REMB) from Aa2 to Aaa yesterday (Thursday), following the introduction of Counterparty Risk (CR) assessments to its methodology.
DNB hit a weak market when it launched a $750m (Nkr6.12bn, Eu699m) Additional Tier 1 transaction yesterday (Thursday), with the book size and pricing off highs witnessed on recent US dollar Nordic AT1 supply.
Moody’s upgraded Aktia Real Estate Mortgage Bank covered bonds from Aa3 to Aa2 on Tuesday after designating the covered bond anchor point the senior unsecured rating plus one notch.
Aktia Bank announced on Tuesday that it has mandated banks to organise a series of investor meetings for its euro benchmark covered bond programme, with an official at the issuer noting that the roadshow would be used to gauge market conditions and investor appetite.
Realkredit Danmark released its 2013 full year results on Friday, reporting a Dkr158m increase in net profit to Dkr2.612bn (Eu350m), up 6% compared with 2012. It said that this captures a positive trend in core activities as well as higher funding costs and higher impairments.
Finland’s savings and cooperative banking groups are exploring covered bonds as a funding tool, although no decisions have been made, representatives of the banks told Nordic FIs & Covered.
Aktia Bank priced its first public fixed rate senior unsecured transaction yesterday (Wednesday), a Eu300m four year deal that was well received despite Italian and US politics having cast a shadow over markets this week.
A Lower Tier 2 transaction from DNB and a US dollar senior unsecured deal from Svenska Handelsbanken hit the market today (Thursday), with sentiment buoyed by a surprise decision against tapering by the Fed yesterday. Meanwhile, Aktia will roadshow for a senior transaction in euros.
Aktia has roadshowed its new Aktia Bank plc covered bond programme and Crédit Agricole CIB senior covered bond analyst Florian Eichert explores the differences between this and previous Aktia Real Estate Mortgage Bank covered bonds.
Moody’s affirmed Aktia Bank at A3 yesterday (Wednesday), but revised the outlook from stable to negative, a move that an Aktia official said was to be expected given that the bank will no longer be the central credit institution for the POP and savings banks in Finland.