Nykredit Realkredit has confirmed it is targeting some Eu3bn (Dkr22bn) of bond issuance eligible for bail-in buffers over the next two years to bolster its capital after Standard & Poor’s downgraded it from A+ to A on Monday and left the rating on negative outlook.
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.
Realkredit Danmark (RD) sold a Dkr42.4bn (Eu5.68bn) 18 month floating rate note – the largest ever FRN in the Danish covered bond market – in auctions from Monday to yesterday (Thursday), with the size reflecting changes in the type of mortgage being taken out and the maturity a debate over negative coupons in Denmark.
Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday placed Nykredit and DLR Kredit on CreditWatch Negative but affirmed its ratings of fellow Danish banks Jyske, Danske and Nordea Bank Danmark, after completing a review relating to the potential withdrawal of government support for the banking sector under the Bank Recovery & Resolution Directive.
Nykredit Realkredit sold Skr7bn (Eu758m, Dkr5.65bn) of July 2016 floating rate notes on Wednesday in spite of concerns over the possibility of investors having to pay issuers on FRNs if rates turn negative. Realkredit Danmark is meanwhile eyeing Norwegian krone and Swedish krona issuance.
The start of the first Danish auction season to include sales of adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) bonds at negative yields was hit by nervousness about the Danish currency and interest rates on Monday, with yields backing up more than 30bp, but levels and bit-to-covers improved from Tuesday onwards.
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.
Spreads on Danish one year ARM bonds recovered in auctions in the first half of this week after having widened sharply last week, with bid-to-cover levels also improving, as Nykredit and BRFkredit finished their sales, while DLR Kredit only has one day left.
Spreads on Danish one year ARM bonds widened by up to 10bp over the first three days of the latest refinancing auction season this week and bid-to-cover ratios hit lows, despite a sharp fall in supply, with market participants struggling to remember such turbulent conditions and understand the moves.
Nykredit Realkredit has halved the amount of one year ARMs bonds it is selling when it kicks off the latest Danish auction season on Monday from Dkr74bn to Dkr37bn (Eu4.97bn) as its customers move towards longer dated mortgage products, and is building up euro FRNs in connection with this.