Moody’s upgraded six Nordic issuers yesterday (Wednesday) – Danske, DNB, Handelsbanken, Nykredit Realkredit, SEB and Swedbank – citing strong macro profiles, healthy and strengthened core financial ratios and benefits of the introduction of bail-in regimes across the region.
Danske and Swedbank this week hit a hectic Additional Tier 1 (AT1) market and Handelsbanken and Nykredit Realkredit mandated debuts in spite of some weakness in the hybrid asset class, while DNB today (Friday) stuck to its domestic market for its first AT1.
A solid start to the Nordic third quarter bank reporting season from Swedbank on Tuesday was built on by Handelsbanken and SEB, but Nordea fell short of consensus expectations, while in Norway DNB beat forecasts.
Svenska Handelsbanken priced a $1.4bn (Eu1bn, Skr9.4bn) dual tranche five year senior unsecured transaction on Tuesday, raising funding at a much lower cost than that available in euros to highlight a large arbitrage in play between the markets, according to a banker away from the leads.
Stadshypotek launched a rare euro floating rate covered bond this (Friday) morning, a Eu300m five year issue that was launched opportunistically in response to interest in the format from investors, with the deal providing the issuer with attractive funding versus its curve, according to a lead syndicate banker.
Stadshypotek priced a Eu1.25bn five year covered bond on Monday, the joint tightest post-crisis non-German Pfandbrief euro benchmark covered bond, with an official at the issuer noting that the prevailing euro market provided a “unique” funding opportunity for Scandinavian issuers.
Danske and DNB released fourth quarter results today (Thursday) that reflect “various stages of recovery” while reporting by Handelsbanken and SEB yesterday confirm the strength of the Swedish banking sector, said a KeplerCheuvreux analyst.
Svenska Handelsbanken printed the first bank capital issue of 2014 on Tuesday, a Eu1.5bn (Skr16bn) 10 year non-call five subordinated bond that was swamped with demand to pave the way for the tightest pricing of a Tier 2 issue since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, according to a lead syndicate banker.
Svenska Handelsbanken made its third visit to the sterling market this year with a £400m (Eu477m, Skr4.27bn) seven year senior unsecured deal on Thursday of last week (14 November).
SBAB and Svenska Handelsbanken had their ratings affirmed by S&P yesterday (Wednesday), two months after the rating agency placed them on CreditWatch negative.