CDOs/CLOs

The ability of federal agencies to interpret the Volcker Rule and other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act could be a positive for advocates of deregulation.

Apollo's MidCap Financial Services Capital Management is marketing its second mid-market CLO of the year in the $1.05 billion Woodmont 2017-2 Trust transaction. Also, 3i is refinancing a 2014 Jamestown CLO deal, and the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. issues is latest series of notes backed by private student loan originations.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika is floating the possibility of reinterpreting the Volcker Rule, which compelled collateralized loan obligations to divest high yield bonds, or risk losing their biggest customers - U.S. banks.

Palmer Square refinances 2013 CLO, cutting spread on AAA-rated tranche to below 100 basis points; Dryden refinances 2014 European CLO: Five Guys cooking up $440M Whole Business securitization.

A combination of attractive financing and more plentiful supply of collateral CLO issuance to $10.2 billion in April. the highest level in nearly two years.

Risk retention rules created some big hurdles to creating new collateralized loan obligations. Yet they also opened up new avenues for investing in the market, as many managers serving as fee-for-service agents were compelled to raise the capital necessary to keep “skin in the game.”

The unexpectedly strong pace of collateralized loan obligation issuance in April has prompted S&P Global Ratings to increase its forecast for the year as a whole.

First Key preps its second reperforming RMBS of the year; April CLO count reaches $29.8 billion; Toyota, Nissan file plans for notes backed by auto loans and dealer inventory financing.

The London office of Commerzbank AG Debt Fund Management is pricing its third overall CLO in a with a senior loan portfolio targeted at €346.2 million.

Bram Smith is retiring as executive director of the Loans Syndication & Trading Association effective at year’s end, the trade group announced Thursday. Smith has been with the LSTA for nine years, joining as interim executive director in September 2008 before he was installed as permanent ED in December 2009.