Norwegian chief financial officers proved more bearish than their peers in their responses to a variety of questions posed by Moody’s in a survey of 39 Nordic CFOs, with an increase in banking regulation highlighted as a key factor potentially constraining their institutions.
Norway’s Eika Boligkreditt met with strong demand for its first euro benchmark covered bond since early 2013 yesterday (Wednesday) and benefitted from the prevailing negative net supply, according to an official at the issuer, which returned to a Eu500m deal size after two Eu1bn transactions.
Norway’s Eika Boligkreditt, formerly Terra BoligKreditt, will go on a roadshow next week ahead of a potential euro deal, which would be its first benchmark covered bond in the currency since January 2013 after a strong year in the domestic market led it to delay such a move, according to an official at the issuer.
Sparebanken Vest Boligkreditt sold a Eu500m no-grow five year covered bond on Thursday of last week (9 January), having seen “no reason to wait” to tap the market early in the year given strong market conditions, an official at the issuer told Nordic FIs & Covered.
DNB is closing the first Samurai issue for a European financial institution of 2014 tomorrow (Friday), a ¥81.6bn (Eu573m, Nkr4.78bn) dual tranche five year senior unsecured deal that achieved far broader distribution than the Norwegian bank’s last Samurai.
Stein Sjølie, director at Finance Norway, on home-grown initiatives to boost secondary market liqudity, the importance of top tier LCR status for covered bonds, and more.
Norwegian banks have strengthened their credit underwriting standards, according to a survey by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet), Moody’s noted yesterday (Wednesday), saying this is leading to an overall improvement in the credit quality of covered bond collateral.
Moody’s considers a framework for systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) proposed by Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority last week to be credit positive for eight financial institutions designated SIFIs.
Demand for a Eu1bn long six year SpareBank 1 covered bond fell short of expectations on Tuesday, and an official at the issuer said the outcome was surprising, with the choice of maturity and amount of recent Nordic supply perhaps explaining the subdued reception.
The new Norwegian government followed up on a pre-election pledge to ease mortgage standards by asking the country’s FSA to examine lending practices on Tuesday of last week (29 October), and Moody’s said on Monday that any loosening would be credit negative for Norwegian banks and covered bonds.