Creditflux

Deluxe decline leaves CLOs feeling deflated

Euro loan trading: CLOs hang up on top speed-dial contact
Telco Altice, the most prevalent holding for European CLOs, became the most sold issuer of the month, but ION Corporates was the most popular 

US loan trading: CLO managers flee Acosta but gorge on Buckeye
Loan holdings in October gave CLO managers a taste of the good, the bad and the ugly: they feasted on Buckeye, fled Acosta, and could not get rid of Deluxe   

Astor and Armory team up for US mid-market credit interval fund
Astor Investment Management has teamed up with Armory Capital to launch a middle-market credit interval fund, according to US regulatory filings

CIFC beefs up investor relations team in London with two hires
CIFC Asset Management has hired from Muzinich and Murano in a bid to strengthen its European investor relations effort

S&P acquires ESG rating business from RobecoSam
S&P Global has acquired an ESG ratings business from RobecoSam, according to an announcement. The acquisition includes that of SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), an evaluation tool.

Marathon issues CLO with limitation on B3 loans
Marathon Asset Management’s new $405 million US CLO has a 25% cap on loans rated B3 and below, says a source close to the deal

Azimut hires ex-Dyal official as it aims to buy minority equity in asset managers
Azimut will initially focus on acquiring minority stakes in alternative asset managers with under $3 billion AUM – including private credit, private equity, infrastructure and real estate firms

CLO managers brace themselves for Acosta bankruptcy
CLOs hold $402.5 million exposure to Acosta, a sales and marketing agency that is looking likely to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy soon. A total of $163.7 million of Acosta’s term loan left the hands of CLOs in 2019

Finnish life insurer assembles European loan investment business
The firm has brought over a loan portfolio manager from parent company Sampo Group to head the new unit and added a former Deutsche Bank official 

Western adds 5% CLO bucket to listed US loan fund
Western Asset Management has added CLO debt and equity tranches to the investment mandate on a loan fund that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange

DFG seeks secondary loans for new series of Pulsar CLOs
DFG Investment Advisers is launching a new line of CLOs with collateral sourced entirely in the secondary market

Western to launch European loan business after hiring portfolio manager
Western Asset Management is launching a European corporate loan business after hiring an experienced credit portfolio manager with a background rooted in the CLO industry

Ares hires head of credit trading
Ares Management has appointed a head of credit trading in a newly created role

Investors increasingly see ESG as fiduciary duty, State Street survey reveals
North American investors are most likely to view ESG as a fiduciary duty, while European investors are driven by regulation, performance and reputational risk, according to results from a survey conducted by State Street Global Advisors

CBOs aren’t fixated on interest rate moves

Established firms say managers new to European CLOs will struggle to attract assets
New managers making their way in the European CLO market may have a fight on their hands, with sources noting the difficulty these firms face in getting sizeable allocations.

We didn’t take full advantage of volatility

The ideal home for a loan

Managers dispel myth that lenders can’t influence ESG
There’s a growing belief among credit fund managers that they can influence borrowers to take on ESG-friendly practices, contrary to the widely-accepted notion that the business practices of companies are dictated by their private equity owners.

ESG integration is part of fiduciary duty, finds UNPRI
The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) report ‘Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century’, published late last month, concludes that ESG is a source of investment value, ending debate that using ESG criteria might violate fiduciary duties.

Points up front: Talking his book (which is available on Amazon)
For listed asset managers, an earnings call is generally not the right forum to market or advertise upcoming funds. But it might be exactly the right place to try and sell your book.