With the Term ABS Loan Facility (TALF) and the Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP) the only games in town currently in the ABS market , the Information Management Network (IMN) has fittingly made these programs the focus of its upcoming 15th Annual ABS East conference.
The gathering is scheduled for Oct. 25-27, to be held at Fountainebleau Resort in Miami Beach, Florida.
In keeping with the focus on the two most important government programs, the conference's key note speakers are Susan Stiehm, the markets officer and TALF manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Bruce Richards, CEO and president of Marathon Asset Management, one of the PPIP fund managers named by the Department of the Treasury.
The dealer community will not represent more than 90% of the attendance, but rather about 30%, which include participants from JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland and Wells Fargo.
The list also includes regional dealer firms such as Jefferies, Guggenheim Capital Markets, RAIT Securities, Broadpoint DESCAP, StormHarbour Partners and The Seaport Group.
IMN has already confirmed 450 investors and issuers to attend, particularly current TALF auto, student loan and credit card issuers. Additionally, seven out of the nine PPIP fund managers selected by the Treasury have signed up as well.
"There is obviously a lack of ABS deal activity minus the TALF, while PPIP is addressing the problem of distressed assets on banks' balance sheets," Jade Friedensohn, ABS East event producer said. "We decided to focus on these key government initiatives that are restoring the ABS market."
She added that the conference will not only focus on term ABS coverage but will also have panel sessions on distressed assets participated in by asset managers and legal experts in the sector, as well as alternatives to term ABS such as covered bonds and ABCP.
For further information on getting involved with this event, please contact Christopher Keeping at 212.901.0533 or
