Moody’s downgraded the ratings of SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge and Sparebanken Hedmark from A1 to A2 on Monday, but confirmed the A2 ratings of SpareBank 1 SMN and SpareBank 1 SR-Bank, citing a weakening of the SpareBank 1 Alliance.
Norway’s FSA appears to have come out in favour of a bank-by-bank approach to assessing risks associated with covered bond issuance, according to feedback given to the ministry of finance, while Norges Bank has opposed giving covered bond companies regular access to its liquidity facilities.
SpareBank 1 SMN paid up to sell an inaugural fixed rate euro senior unsecured transaction last Thursday (14 February), but hopes that the spread between it and its Norwegian peers will narrow over time after an encouraging investor reception, said an official at the issuer.
A Eu1bn 10 year Terra BoligKreditt covered bond launched yesterday (Wednesday) was only the second jumbo from the Norwegian issuer and its first euro benchmark in the long maturity, which the issuer’s CEO said it had been hoping to tap for some time.
Florian Eichert, senior covered bond analyst, Crédit Agricole CIB, explores how Norwegian regulatory initiatives could affect Norwegian covered bonds and affect supply dynamics in 2013.
Moody’s has deemed credit positive for covered bonds a Norwegian Ministry of Finance proposal for Norwegian covered bond issuers to be granted limited banking licences, saying that it would increase the likelihood of timely payment for bondholders.
Eivind Hegelstad, COO and head of investor relations at SpareBank 1 Boligkreditt, spoke to The Covered Bond Report’s Neil Day about the bank’s plans for 2013, its high profile in the US dollar market, and whether or not the Norwegian regulator is right on asset encumbrance.
Moody’s concluded a review of five Norwegian regional banks today (Thursday) by downgrading the long term issuer ratings of three savings banks and affirming two, while keeping on review for downgrade the rated members of the SpareBank 1 alliance and cutting SpareBank 1 Gruppen.
DNB raised Eu1bn of prefunding via an opportunistic 10 year euro benchmark covered bond yesterday (Wednesday) that it launched to capitalise on tight spreads and a positive market, according to an official at the issuer, who said that the bank’s deals will be smaller than in the past given declining wholesale funding needs.
Norway’s SpareBank 1 Boligkreditt sold its second Yankee benchmark of the year yesterday (Wednesday), a $1bn (Eu781m/Nkr5.72bn) seven year that was executed against a deteriorating market backdrop but supported by strong lead interest.