CDOs/CLOs

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has arranged a $300 million CLO, surprising market participants who, after the worsening of the debt crisis overseas, weren’t expecting to see new CLOs for some time. In fact, other deals are in the works as well, sources say.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Thursday that Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $550 million and reform its business practices to settle charges that the securities firm misled investors in marketing a synthetic CDO known as ABACUS 2007-AC1.

At the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's (SIFMA) regulatory reform summit held in New York yesterday, panelists discussed the just-passed regulatory reform bill's impact on the financial industry.

Regulatory reform survived its last significant hurdle Thursday with the Senate moving to block further changes and hold a final vote on the bill.

With U.S. financial reform nearly through, eyes are turning to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, which is hammering out a set of regulatory standards intended to lay the foundation for a global overhaul.

With the votes lined up, the Senate Tuesday was poised to set in motion the final countdown to a vote on financial regulatory reform.

Like a shark swimming near a crowded beach, the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill is causing a lot of anxiety for bank loan market participants, especially those who have anything to do with CLOs.

Fitch Solutions' CDS liquidity scores will now offer CDS liquidity measures at the contract level in addition to the existing entity level scores launched last year.

After experiencing a barrage of criticism for their tardy downgrades, the top three ratings agencies are seeking to regain credibility by tailoring their research efforts to better meet the needs of investors.

Despite the devastation in the wake of the global financial crisis, there are certain areas of the securitization market that present opportunities for investors.