CDOs

High investor demand for collateralized loan obligation paper is squeezing spreads to their tightest levels in more than a year, even as improving monthly CLO issuance has reached its highest level of 2016.

Mid-market commercial direct lender Newstar Financial is losing one of its founding members and a key figure in establishing its multi-faceted securitization platform with the announced retirement of treasurer and asset management head John Frishkopf.

The recent and ongoing upheaval in Libor rates is producing divergent outlooks on debt and equity positions in CLOs, says the Loan Syndications and Trading Association.

Rules requiring CLO managers to keep skin in the game of their deals has taken a toll on smaller firms. But the resulting thinning of the ranks has created room for some new players that are better capitalized, including insurance companies.

The Loan Syndications and Trading Association has finalized a rule designed to speed up settlement of leveraged loans.

The rating agency in the second quarter upgraded 149 tranches of senior, mezzanine or subordinate notes across 49 CLOs. By comparison, it downgraded just 13 tranches of six CLOs.

Allen & Overy has added a team of five partners specialized in leveraged financings to its New York office.

Despite efforts by regulators and banks to improve underwriting of commercial leveraged loans, the number of troubled large syndicated credits jumped again this year, according to a report released Friday by federal regulators.

EJF Capital is marketing $333.75 million of notes backed by trust preferred securities issued by banks and insurance companies.