CDOs/CLOs

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP (formerly Hunton & Williams and Andrews Kurth Kenyon) has named Robert A. Davis Jr. as special counsel in its tax and ERISA practice.

After the second-busiest quarter for primary European CLO issuance to start 2018, a two-week April lull in the market was ended with deal pricings by Intermediate Capital and Investcorp.

Jay Huang, a longtime Citigroup veteran who joined in January, is developing a high-tech trading-desk operation to enhance the company's portfolio of CLO investments.

It is backed by $499.8 million of trust preferred securities and subordinated debt issued by 63 banks and $380 million of TruPS and surplus notes issued by four insurance companies.

The total volume of CLO refinancings for the month to date has reachd $11.3 billion, as managers continue to take advantage of the repeal of skin-in-the-game rules for this asset class.

With no more concerns about triggering risk retention on its large pile of older deals, Blackstone is dusting off CLO portfolios that have long been eligible for a refi makeover.

The LSTA has declared the era of risk retention for open-market CLOs is over, pending an unlikely U.S. Supreme Court intervention. "We believe we can exhale," the trade group said in a statement.

The $31.7 billion in collateralized loan obligation deals priced year-to-date is the most in a first quarter in the post-crisis era.

Fortress Investment Group's $702.8 portfolio of SME loans is the first since Softbank Group acquired Fortress in December.

Managers are regaining the ability to amend older deals that they previously locked down to maintain risk-retention exemptions.