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
BEYONDûûBORROWERSûHAVEûJOINEDûTHEû
regulators to ramp up the pressure on
BANKSûTOûOFFERûNEWûLOANSûBENCHMARKEDûTOû
THEû2&2S
Borrowers are eager to clear up Libor
EXPOSURESûACROSSûTHEIRûWIDERûBALANCEûSHEETSû
AHEADûOFûTHEûDEADLINEûBUTûTHEûSYNDICATEDû
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
5NDERû3HELLSûDEALûTHEûEXISTINGû,IBORû
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/VERNIGHTû&INANCINGû2ATEû3/&2 ûASûEARLYûASû
THEûlRSTûANNIVERSARYûOFûTHEûSIGNINGûDATEûOFû
THEûlNANCINGûONCEûTHEûBANKûMARKETûISûFULLYû
PREPAREDûFORû3/&2ûASûANûUNDERLYINGûRATE
3/&2ûONû3HELLSûDEALûISûCALCULATEDûASûAû
VOLUME
WEIGHTEDûMEDIANûOFûTRANSACTION
LEVELûTRI
PARTYûREPOûDATAûCOLLECTEDûFROMû
VARIOUSûMARKETûSOURCESûANDûPUBLISHEDûBYû
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"!4SûlNANCINGûHASûADDEDûCOMPLEXITYûASû
ITûISûMULTI
CURRENCYûANDûAVAILABLEûINûSTERLINGû
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INCORPORATEûBOTHû3TERLINGû/VERNIGHTû)NDEXû
!VERAGEû3ONIA ûANDû3/&2ûBENCHMARKS
INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUPûHASûALSOûSAIDû
THATûITûHASûSTARTEDûREVIEWINGûANDûPLANNINGû
FORûTHEûEXPECTEDûDISCONTINUATIONûOFû,IBORû
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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
ISûONGOINGûMARKETûPARTICIPANTSûHAVEû
REALISEDûTHATûAûBACKWARD
LOOKINGû
COMPOUNDEDûRATEûWILLûBEûTHEûONLYûAVAILABLEû
OPTIONûONûDEADLINEûDAY
)NûANYûCASEûREGULATORSûHAVEûSAIDûTHATû
FORWARD
LOOKINGûTERMû2&2SûWHENûTHEYûAREû
DEVELOPEDûMAYûONLYûBEûAPPROPRIATEûFORûAû
LIMITEDûNUMBERûOFûNICHEûBORROWERSûINûAREASû
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ESTATEûANDûFORûSMALLERûCOMPANIESûANDûEVENû
THENûlXED
RATEûLOANSûCOULDûBEûAûBETTERû
OPTIONûFORûTHESEûBORROWERS
WHO’S LEADING?
0ROGRESSûHASûALSOûBEENûHAMPEREDûBYûAû
GENERALûUNCERTAINTYûOVERûWHOûISûANDûWHOû
SHOULDûBEûLEADINGûTHEûPROCESS
h4HEûCHALLENGEûISûTHATûITSûAûPRIVATEû
MARKETûEVERYONEûHASûHALFûANûEYEûONû
COMPETITIONûLAWû.OBODYûWANTSûTOûBEûSEENûASû
THEûONEûLEADINGûTHEûPROCESSûANDûSETTINGû
POLICIESvûAûSENIORûBANKERûSAID
"UTûWITHûBORROWERSûDEMANDINGûACTIONû
ANDûPRODUCTûFROMûTHEûBANKSûTHINGSûAREû
BEGINNINGûTOûMOVEûATûAûQUICKERûPACE
4HEû,OANû-ARKETû!SSOCIATIONûPUBLISHEDû
EXPOSUREûDRAFTûLOANûAGREEMENTSûBASEDûONû
2&2SûINû3EPTEMBERûûANDûHASûASKEDû
MARKETûPARTICIPANTSûFORûFEEDBACKû4HEû
EXPOSUREûDRAFTSûAREûNOTûRECOMMENDEDûFORMSû
OFû,-!ûDOCUMENTATIONûBUTûTHEYûHAVEû
PROVIDEDûAûCLEARERûPICTUREûOFûWHATûAû2&2
BASEDûLOANûMIGHTûLOOKûLIKE
4HEûDRAFTSûASSUMEûTHEûUSEûOFûAû
COMPOUNDEDûAVERAGEû2&2ûUSINGûTHEûSAMEû
METHODûASûINûTHEûmOATING
RATEûNOTEûISSUANCEû
MARKET
4OûADDRESSûTHEûCONCERNSûOVERûTHEû
BACKWARD
LOOKINGûASPECTûOFûTHEû2&2SûTHEû
INTERESTûRATEûCHARGEDûISûDETERMINEDûINûANû
OBSERVATIONûPERIODûTHATûSTARTSûlVEûDAYSû
BEFOREûTHEûINTERESTûPERIODûANDûENDSûlVEû
DAYSûBEFOREûTHEûINTERESTûPERIODûENDSû
PROVIDINGûADVANCEDûNOTICEûOFûTHEûAMOUNTûTOû
BEûPAIDûAHEADûOFûTHEûSCHEDULEDûPAYMENTû
DATE
!Sû2&2SûDOûNOTûINCLUDEûBANKûCREDITûRISKûORû
term risk they are lower than the Libor rates
SOûANûADJUSTMENTûWILLûBEûREQUIREDûTOûAVOIDûAû
TRANSFERûOFûVALUEûWHILEûENSURINGûAûFAIRû
OUTCOMEûWHETHERûTHROUGHûAûSEPARATEû
ADJUSTEDûSPREADûONûTOPûOFûTHEûMARGINûORûJUSTû
AûHIGHERûMARGIN
4HESEûADJUSTMENTSûAREûEXPECTEDûTOûFADEû
AWAYûOVERûTIMEûASûTHEûMARKETûGETSûUSEDûTOû
THEûNEWûMETHODOLOGY
JIGSAW PUZZLE
-EANWHILEûWORKûISûONGOINGûONûAûROLL
OUTûOFû
THIRD
PARTYû2&2ûINDICESûANDûSCREENûRATESû
WHICHûWILLûBEûAûPRE
REQUISITEûFORûAû
FUNCTIONINGû2&2
BASEDûLOANûMARKET
3YSTEMSûNEEDûTOûBEûINûPLACEûATûBOTHûBANKSû
ANDûBORROWERSûSOûTHEûLOANûMARKETûCANû
OPERATEûWITHûTHEûNEWûBENCHMARKSû6ENDORSû
are working to roll out systems as the last
PIECEûOFûTHEûJIGSAWûPUZZLEûBUTûASûTHEû
TRANSITIONûPROCESSûDEVELOPSûREQUIREMENTSû
CHANGEûANDûALTHOUGHûSOMEûBANKSûUPGRADEDû
their systems last year others may be
WAITINGûFORûAûCOMPREHENSIVEûlNALûVERSIONû
BEFOREûCOMMITTINGûTOûAûNEWûSYSTEM
h.OBODYûWANTSûTOûBEûTHEûONEûLEFTûWITHûTHEû
"ETAMAXûBEINGûANûEARLYûADOPTERûHASûITSû
BENElTSûBUTûITûALSOûHASûITSûLIABILITIESûIFûYOUû
ADOPTûITûLATEûYOUûCOULDûBEûLEFTûBEHINDûSOû
THEREûAREûRISKSûBOTHûWAYSvûTHEûBANKERûSAID
4OûDATEûTHEREûHASûNOTûBEENûAûHUGEûVOLUMEû
OFû2&2
BASEDûLOANSûASûBANKSûWORKEDû
INDIVIDUALLYûTOûROLLûOUTûPILOTûSCHEMESûANDû
ARRANGEDûAûHANDFULûOFûBILATERALû3ONIA
BASEDû
LOANS
But with the emergence of RFR-
REFERENCINGûJUMBOûSYNDICATEDûDEALSûFORûTHEû
LIKESûOFû3HELLûANDû"!4ûTHEûNUMBERûOFûBANKSû
showing a capability to participate in such
DEALSûHASûEXPANDEDûGREATLYûWHILEûAû
CONSENSUSûOVERûMETHODOLOGIESûSEEMSûTOûBEû
SLOWLYûBUILDING
h7EVEûBEENûSETûAûDEADLINEû)ûTHINKûWELLû
MAKEûITûEVENûIFûWEûHAVEûTOûDRAGûITûOVERûTHEû
LINEvûTHEûBANKERûSAID
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