IFR 03.7.2020

(Ann) #1
„ FRONT STORY EUROPEAN INVESTMENT-GRADE

BAT ready for Libor switch


Company looking to refinance £6bn RCF


Borrowers are pushing for transition away from Libor


BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO is looking to switch
away from Libor on the upcoming
RElNANCINGûOFûITSûaBNûREVOLVINGûCREDITû
facilities in the next big test in the loan
market’s transition away from Libor to risk-
FREEûRATESûAHEADûOFûTHEûPLANNEDûCESSATIONûOFû
,IBORûATûTHEûENDûOFû
7ITHûTHEû5+Sû&INANCIALû#ONDUCTû
!UTHORITYûSETTINGûAûTARGETûDATEûOFûTHEûENDû
OFûTHEûTHIRDûQUARTERûOFûûTOûSTOPûNEWû
,IBOR
BASEDûCASHûCONTRACTSûTHATûMATUREû
BEYONDû ûBORROWERSûHAVEûJOINEDûTHEû
regulators to ramp up the pressure on
BANKSûTOûOFFERûNEWûLOANSûBENCHMARKEDûTOû
THEû2&2S
Borrowers are eager to clear up Libor
EXPOSURESûACROSSûTHEIRûWIDERûBALANCEûSHEETSû
AHEADûOFûTHEûDEADLINE ûBUTûTHEûSYNDICATEDû
LOANûMARKETûHASûLAGGEDûBEHINDûOTHERû,IBOR
REFERENCINGûlNANCIALûINSTRUMENTSûINû
DEVELOPINGûANDûIMPLEMENTINGûTRANSITION
"!4SûlNANCINGûWILLûINCLUDEûAûaBNû
DAYûTRANCHEûWITHûTWOûONE
YEARûEXTENSIONû
OPTIONSûANDûAûONE
YEARûTERM
OUTûOPTIONûANDû
AûaBNûlVE
YEARûTRANCHEûWITHûTWOûONE
YEARû
EXTENSIONûOPTIONS
The company is seeking to incorporate a
switch mechanism like Anglo-Dutch oil
company ROYAL DUTCH SHELL@Sû53BNû
REVOLVINGûCREDITûFACILITYûTHATûWASûSIGNEDûINû
$ECEMBER
5NDERû3HELLSûDEAL ûTHEûEXISTINGû,IBORû
INTERESTûWILLûBEûREPLACEDûBYûTHEû3ECUREDû
/VERNIGHTû&INANCINGû2ATEû3/&2 ûASûEARLYûASû
THEûlRSTûANNIVERSARYûOFûTHEûSIGNINGûDATEûOFû
THEûlNANCING ûONCEûTHEûBANKûMARKETûISûFULLYû
PREPAREDûFORû3/&2ûASûANûUNDERLYINGûRATE
3/&2ûONû3HELLSûDEALûISûCALCULATEDûASûAû
VOLUME
WEIGHTEDûMEDIANûOFûTRANSACTION
LEVELûTRI
PARTYûREPOûDATAûCOLLECTEDûFROMû
VARIOUSûMARKETûSOURCESûANDûPUBLISHEDûBYû
THEû.EWû9ORKû&EDERALû2ESERVEû"ANK
"!4SûlNANCINGûHASûADDEDûCOMPLEXITYûASû
ITûISûMULTI
CURRENCYûANDûAVAILABLEûINûSTERLING û
53ûDOLLARSûANDûEUROSûANDûSOûWILLûNEEDûTOû
INCORPORATEûBOTHû3TERLINGû/VERNIGHTû)NDEXû
!VERAGEû3ONIA ûANDû3/&2ûBENCHMARKS
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUPûHASûALSOûSAIDû
THATûITûHASûSTARTEDûREVIEWINGûANDûPLANNINGû
FORûTHEûEXPECTEDûDISCONTINUATIONûOFû,IBORû
4HEûCOMPANYûWILLûHAVEûTOûRENEGOTIATEûTERMSû

ONûITSûEXISTINGû53BNûSYNDICATEDû2#&û
ANDûAû53MûBILATERALû2#& ûBOTHûOFûWHICHû
MATUREûINû-ARCHû
Progress on Libor replacement in the loan
market has been painfully slow as banks
HELDûOUTûFORûAûFORWARD
LOOKINGûTERMû2&2ûTHATû
WOULDûBETTERûMIRRORû,IBORûANDûPROVIDEûAû
PREDICTIONûOFûBORROWINGûCOSTS
!LTHOUGHûWORKûONûFORWARD
LOOKINGû2&2Sû
ISûONGOING ûMARKETûPARTICIPANTSûHAVEû
REALISEDûTHATûAûBACKWARD
LOOKINGû
COMPOUNDEDûRATEûWILLûBEûTHEûONLYûAVAILABLEû
OPTIONûONûDEADLINEûDAY
)NûANYûCASE ûREGULATORSûHAVEûSAIDûTHATû
FORWARD
LOOKINGûTERMû2&2S ûWHENûTHEYûAREû
DEVELOPED ûMAYûONLYûBEûAPPROPRIATEûFORûAû
LIMITEDûNUMBERûOFûNICHEûBORROWERSûINûAREASû
SUCHûASûTRADEûlNANCE ûSUPPLYûCHAIN ûREALû
ESTATEûANDûFORûSMALLERûCOMPANIESûANDûEVENû
THEN ûlXED
RATEûLOANSûCOULDûBEûAûBETTERû
OPTIONûFORûTHESEûBORROWERS

WHO’S LEADING?
0ROGRESSûHASûALSOûBEENûHAMPEREDûBYûAû
GENERALûUNCERTAINTYûOVERûWHOûISûANDûWHOû
SHOULDûBEûLEADINGûTHEûPROCESS
h4HEûCHALLENGEûISûTHATûITSûAûPRIVATEû
MARKET ûEVERYONEûHASûHALFûANûEYEûONû
COMPETITIONûLAWû.OBODYûWANTSûTOûBEûSEENûASû
THEûONEûLEADINGûTHEûPROCESSûANDûSETTINGû
POLICIES vûAûSENIORûBANKERûSAID
"UTûWITHûBORROWERSûDEMANDINGûACTIONû
ANDûPRODUCTûFROMûTHEûBANKS ûTHINGSûAREû
BEGINNINGûTOûMOVEûATûAûQUICKERûPACE
4HEû,OANû-ARKETû!SSOCIATIONûPUBLISHEDû
EXPOSUREûDRAFTûLOANûAGREEMENTSûBASEDûONû
2&2SûINû3EPTEMBERû ûANDûHASûASKEDû
MARKETûPARTICIPANTSûFORûFEEDBACKû4HEû
EXPOSUREûDRAFTSûAREûNOTûRECOMMENDEDûFORMSû
OFû,-!ûDOCUMENTATIONûBUTûTHEYûHAVEû
PROVIDEDûAûCLEARERûPICTUREûOFûWHATûAû2&2
BASEDûLOANûMIGHTûLOOKûLIKE
4HEûDRAFTSûASSUMEûTHEûUSEûOFûAû
COMPOUNDEDûAVERAGEû2&2 ûUSINGûTHEûSAMEû
METHODûASûINûTHEûmOATING
RATEûNOTEûISSUANCEû
MARKET
4OûADDRESSûTHEûCONCERNSûOVERûTHEû
BACKWARD
LOOKINGûASPECTûOFûTHEû2&2SûTHEû
INTERESTûRATEûCHARGEDûISûDETERMINEDûINûANû
OBSERVATIONûPERIODûTHATûSTARTSûlVEûDAYSû
BEFOREûTHEûINTERESTûPERIODûANDûENDSûlVEû

DAYSûBEFOREûTHEûINTERESTûPERIODûENDSû
PROVIDINGûADVANCEDûNOTICEûOFûTHEûAMOUNTûTOû
BEûPAIDûAHEADûOFûTHEûSCHEDULEDûPAYMENTû
DATE
!Sû2&2SûDOûNOTûINCLUDEûBANKûCREDITûRISKûORû
term risk they are lower than the Libor rates
SOûANûADJUSTMENTûWILLûBEûREQUIREDûTOûAVOIDûAû
TRANSFERûOFûVALUEûWHILEûENSURINGûAûFAIRû
OUTCOME ûWHETHERûTHROUGHûAûSEPARATEû
ADJUSTEDûSPREADûONûTOPûOFûTHEûMARGINûORûJUSTû
AûHIGHERûMARGIN
4HESEûADJUSTMENTSûAREûEXPECTEDûTOûFADEû
AWAYûOVERûTIMEûASûTHEûMARKETûGETSûUSEDûTOû
THEûNEWûMETHODOLOGY

JIGSAW PUZZLE
-EANWHILE ûWORKûISûONGOINGûONûAûROLL
OUTûOFû
THIRD
PARTYû2&2ûINDICESûANDûSCREENûRATESû
WHICHûWILLûBEûAûPRE
REQUISITEûFORûAû
FUNCTIONINGû2&2
BASEDûLOANûMARKET
3YSTEMSûNEEDûTOûBEûINûPLACEûATûBOTHûBANKSû
ANDûBORROWERSûSOûTHEûLOANûMARKETûCANû
OPERATEûWITHûTHEûNEWûBENCHMARKSû6ENDORSû
are working to roll out systems as the last
PIECEûOFûTHEûJIGSAWûPUZZLE ûBUTûASûTHEû
TRANSITIONûPROCESSûDEVELOPS ûREQUIREMENTSû
CHANGEûANDûALTHOUGHûSOMEûBANKSûUPGRADEDû
their systems last year others may be
WAITINGûFORûAûCOMPREHENSIVEûlNALûVERSIONû
BEFOREûCOMMITTINGûTOûAûNEWûSYSTEM
h.OBODYûWANTSûTOûBEûTHEûONEûLEFTûWITHûTHEû
"ETAMAX ûBEINGûANûEARLYûADOPTERûHASûITSû
BENElTS ûBUTûITûALSOûHASûITSûLIABILITIES ûIFûYOUû
ADOPTûITûLATEûYOUûCOULDûBEûLEFTûBEHIND ûSOû
THEREûAREûRISKSûBOTHûWAYS vûTHEûBANKERûSAID
4OûDATE ûTHEREûHASûNOTûBEENûAûHUGEûVOLUMEû
OFû2&2
BASEDûLOANSûASûBANKSûWORKEDû
INDIVIDUALLYûTOûROLLûOUTûPILOTûSCHEMESûANDû
ARRANGEDûAûHANDFULûOFûBILATERALû3ONIA
BASEDû
LOANS
But with the emergence of RFR-
REFERENCINGûJUMBOûSYNDICATEDûDEALSûFORûTHEû
LIKESûOFû3HELLûANDû"!4 ûTHEûNUMBERûOFûBANKSû
showing a capability to participate in such
DEALSûHASûEXPANDEDûGREATLY ûWHILEûAû
CONSENSUSûOVERûMETHODOLOGIESûSEEMSûTOûBEû
SLOWLYûBUILDING
h7EVEûBEENûSETûAûDEADLINE û)ûTHINKûWELLû
MAKEûIT ûEVENûIFûWEûHAVEûTOûDRAGûITûOVERûTHEû
LINE vûTHEûBANKERûSAID
Alasdair Reilly

International Financing Review March 7 2020 63

LOANS


Australia  China  Hong Kong  Japan  Philippines  Germany  Ireland  Russia û UK û
United States  Leveraged Loans û Restructuring 

9 IFR Loans 2323 p 63 - 76 .indd 63 06 / 03 / 2020 19 : 19 : 50

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