Financials Credit Analyst

Hank Calenti, CFA

CreditContinuum

Credit

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hsbc-holdings-plc-a723bd63-0890-486f-aaa0-3bb9ad2b95ce" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21976:1" rel="noopener">HSBC Holdings' (HSBA LN)</a> newly issued Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond is not worth chasing. HSBC remains adrift and a strategic reset in February could have an outsized impact on longer dated notes. We see better risk adjusted returns in lower duration securities of the issuer.HCBC’s 4.6% coupon 2030 first call AT1 bond priced in-line with similarly long-duration AT1 notes. The market’s preference for duration aided in generating attractive pricing for the issuer. Priced at 10-year Treasuries plus 365 basis points, we see little upside and plenty of market-driven downside at this level. Only <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bnp-paribas" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:525:1" rel="noopener">BNP Paribas' (BNP FP)</a> 4.5% coupon 2030 first call AT1 priced at a tighter spread in 10-year AT1 paper this year and BNP’s market timing was perfect.This issuance also suggests to us a sooner than expected restart of stock buybacks. To limit capital leverage, HSBC Holding’s UK regulator generally does not allow banks to issue AT1 while the firm is buying stock in the open market. Stock buybacks can deplete capital buffers faster than regular dividends and, therefore, are not AT1 investor friendly.  Taken together, a flat yield curve combined with<ul><li><ul>
<li>overpriced risk relative to ratings,</li>
<li>spreads that are tight to similar maturity senior bonds</li>
<li>capital buffers that are in-line with peers but driven by high conversion trigger levels that are not priced-in, and</li>
<li>underpriced credit default risk at the long end</li>
</ul></li></ul>leads us to conclude that the newly issued AT1 note has limited upside relative to its shorter duration cohorts.Finally, investor preference for long-duration assets in the low yield environment appears to be having a large impact on valuations. Chasing spread at this point in the cycle can be dangerous. Given better risk / return opportunities on other parts of the credit continuum, we do not recommend chasing HSBC’s new AT1 bond.

HSBC Holdings' (HSBA LN) newly issued Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond is not worth chasing. HSBC remains adrift and a strategic reset in February could have an outsized impact on longer dated notes. We see better risk adjusted returns in lower duration securities of the issuer.HCBC’s 4.6% coupon 2030 first call AT1 bond priced in-line with similarly long-duration AT1 notes. The market’s preference for duration aided in generating attractive pricing for the issuer. Priced at 10-year Treasuries plus 365 basis points, we see little upside and plenty of market-driven downside at this level. Only BNP Paribas' (BNP FP) 4.5% coupon 2030 first call AT1 priced at a tighter spread in 10-year AT1 paper this year and BNP’s market timing was perfect.This issuance also suggests to us a sooner than expected restart of stock buybacks. To limit capital leverage, HSBC Holding’s UK regulator generally does not allow banks to issue AT1 while the firm is buying stock in the open market. Stock buybacks can deplete capital buffers faster than regular dividends and, therefore, are not AT1 investor friendly.  Taken together, a flat yield curve combined with
overpriced risk relative to ratings,
spreads that are tight to similar maturity senior bonds
capital buffers that are in-line with peers but driven by high conversion trigger levels that are not priced-in, and
underpriced credit default risk at the long end
leads us to conclude that the newly issued AT1 note has limited upside relative to its shorter duration cohorts.Finally, investor preference for long-duration assets in the low yield environment appears to be having a large impact on valuations. Chasing spread at this point in the cycle can be dangerous. Given better risk / return opportunities on other parts of the credit continuum, we do not recommend chasing HSBC’s new AT1 bond.

European Event-Driven Analyst

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Event-Driven

<ul class="">
<li>The new CaixaBank has established the composition of its Board of directors, which will be the largest domestic bank in Spain.</li>
<li> The independent expert (BDO) has endorsed the exchange ratio,
<ul>
<li>
0.6845 new CaixaBank shares for each Bankia share.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The FROB believes that the operation will have a positive effect on the recovery of the aid.</li>
</ul>
I recommend keeping an eye on the spread.
<ul>
<li>It closed on 27 October at 1.66% (gross), not far from the maximum reached on 20 October of 1.73%, and in any case an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close (est. March 2021).
</li>
</ul>
Further catalysts post-merger are (increased) dividend payouts and the exit in the short to medium term of the Kingdom of Spain from the capital of the merged entity.
M&amp;A consolidation seems as a reasonable way to reduce costs and protect profits. These can be among domestic banks or, much to the liking of the ECB, between banks domiciled in different EU countries that share common markets, and would create European champions (see list of banks that appear in many rumours at the end of the note).


The new CaixaBank has established the composition of its Board of directors, which will be the largest domestic bank in Spain.
 The independent expert (BDO) has endorsed the exchange ratio,


0.6845 new CaixaBank shares for each Bankia share.


The FROB believes that the operation will have a positive effect on the recovery of the aid.

I recommend keeping an eye on the spread.

It closed on 27 October at 1.66% (gross), not far from the maximum reached on 20 October of 1.73%, and in any case an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close (est. March 2021).


Further catalysts post-merger are (increased) dividend payouts and the exit in the short to medium term of the Kingdom of Spain from the capital of the merged entity.
M&amp;A consolidation seems as a reasonable way to reduce costs and protect profits. These can be among domestic banks or, much to the liking of the ECB, between banks domiciled in different EU countries that share common markets, and would create European champions (see list of banks that appear in many rumours at the end of the note).

Bankia - CaixaBank: Merger in Progress, Spread Attractive

Debt Capital Markets

Rizal Commercial Banking / Debt Capital Markets

There are several disconcerting issues pertaining to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/rizal-commercial-banking-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:23143:1" rel="noopener">Rizal Commercial Bank (RCBPM)</a> which potential investors need to gain comfort regarding in advance of its inaugural US$-denominated Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond.The issues, besides the obvious Covid-19 related impacts, are the gap to possible restrictions on AT1 coupon payments and any potential liability relating to the unauthorized transfer of funds from the Bank of Bangladesh in 2016. Answers to each of these items are currently unknown. Note that we assessed Rizal's related-party exposure in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/philippine-banks-a-related-party" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:41194" rel="noopener">Philippine Banks: A Related Party</a>. With a baa3 rating as its lowest fundamental credit score, an AT1 issue from RCBPM is likely to be rated at Ba3 / BB-. Comparatively rated US$-AT1 bonds with four to six years until first call date offer a yield to first call in the range of 5.9% to 8.4%.  Given the known unknowns relating to Rizal, we believe investors should demand a higher yield as compensation.

There are several disconcerting issues pertaining to Rizal Commercial Bank (RCBPM) which potential investors need to gain comfort regarding in advance of its inaugural US$-denominated Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond.The issues, besides the obvious Covid-19 related impacts, are the gap to possible restrictions on AT1 coupon payments and any potential liability relating to the unauthorized transfer of funds from the Bank of Bangladesh in 2016. Answers to each of these items are currently unknown. Note that we assessed Rizal's related-party exposure in Philippine Banks: A Related Party. With a baa3 rating as its lowest fundamental credit score, an AT1 issue from RCBPM is likely to be rated at Ba3 / BB-. Comparatively rated US$-AT1 bonds with four to six years until first call date offer a yield to first call in the range of 5.9% to 8.4%.  Given the known unknowns relating to Rizal, we believe investors should demand a higher yield as compensation.

Rizal Commercial Bank: The Known Unknowns in Advance of Its AT1 Issuance

Silver Point

Thomas J. Monaco

Independent Insight Provider

Silver Point is a boutique research firm that focuses on the broader financial services sector, with a particular focus on troubled institutions globally. 

Asia Ex Japan

Equity Bottom-Up

*Stand Out Quarter For First Major European Out of The Box: DNB ASA (DNB.NO) [DNB] kicked off 2Q20 results season with a bang, reporting a bottom-line of NOK 5.0 bn – exceeding 1Q20 results by NOK 1.0 bn or 25.5%. This outperformance was even more pronounced on an operating basis with 2Q20 ahead of the linked quarter result by NOK 1.8 bn or 55.3%. Results were primarily driven by a NOK 3.7 bn (63.3%) decline in loss provisions – which may be somewhat premature; and a NOK 572 mn (9.7%) decline in operating expenses due primarily to lower pension costs.*Management Quite Positive: Management seems to be pleased where DNB is heading, as CEO Braathen has stated that "we’ve seen a gradual but much more rapid recovery than I think we dared to hope for entering the quarter”, and that “June, in particular, was a very strong month for activities in investment banking and housing sales and consumer spending"; and   *Possible Dividend Return: DNB does have best-in-class capital with its CET1 of 18.2%, which is already back above 17.9% pre-COVID-19 CET1 target and nearing its prior peak (4Q19) of 18.6%. Politics aside, DNB does appear to be the first European bank which will be allowed to resume both dividends and share buybacks.

*Stand Out Quarter For First Major European Out of The Box: DNB ASA (DNB.NO) [DNB] kicked off 2Q20 results season with a bang, reporting a bottom-line of NOK 5.0 bn – exceeding 1Q20 results by NOK 1.0 bn or 25.5%. This outperformance was even more pronounced on an operating basis with 2Q20 ahead of the linked quarter result by NOK 1.8 bn or 55.3%. Results were primarily driven by a NOK 3.7 bn (63.3%) decline in loss provisions – which may be somewhat premature; and a NOK 572 mn (9.7%) decline in operating expenses due primarily to lower pension costs.*Management Quite Positive: Management seems to be pleased where DNB is heading, as CEO Braathen has stated that "we’ve seen a gradual but much more rapid recovery than I think we dared to hope for entering the quarter”, and that “June, in particular, was a very strong month for activities in investment banking and housing sales and consumer spending"; and   *Possible Dividend Return: DNB does have best-in-class capital with its CET1 of 18.2%, which is already back above 17.9% pre-COVID-19 CET1 target and nearing its prior peak (4Q19) of 18.6%. Politics aside, DNB does appear to be the first European bank which will be allowed to resume both dividends and share buybacks.

DNB ASA – Window To Be Constructive Is Open

Research and consultancy, Tabbush Report

Daniel Tabbush

Research and consultancy

Tabbush Report

We provide research and consultancy on Asian banks. Our focus is on what we call “Asian bank research, without the noise.” We are interested in the most critical swing-factors for banks, the NPL and credit cycle, and where we believe there is a gap between perception and reality. We often focus on the less studied components of bank financial statements.  Our research is highly thematic, sometimes examining unlisted banks and companies as a window on mainstream banks. 

Being independent allows us to look at smaller banks, often overlooked by others. Analysis of BIS bank guidelines in the context of Asia, is also a focal point, while we also analyze global banks operating in the region. We use what we believe is the most comprehensive, reliable financials database, SNL Financial. S&P Capital IQ augments our database, with corporate data and CEIC, with economics. 

Asian bank research, without the noise.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

There are continued positive signs of recovery in Europe. It’s not just limited to the US. In all likelihood we are past the dire days of the crisis, or the ‘great interruption.’ Germany just reopened its borders to European travel and the region shows several positive signs from reopening economies. The impact to banks can be significant, which are highly leveraged to economic improvements. We wonder if this is well expected, considering the market capitalization of many EU banks?

There are continued positive signs of recovery in Europe. It’s not just limited to the US. In all likelihood we are past the dire days of the crisis, or the ‘great interruption.’ Germany just reopened its borders to European travel and the region shows several positive signs from reopening economies. The impact to banks can be significant, which are highly leveraged to economic improvements. We wonder if this is well expected, considering the market capitalization of many EU banks?

Germany

Commerzbank AG attracts deposits and offers retail and commercial banking services.  The Bank offers mortgage loans, securities brokerage and asset management services, private banking, foreign exchange, and treasury services worldwide.

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Commerzbank AG (CBK GR)

HSBC’s New AT1: Not Worth Chasing

HSBC remains adrift and a strategic reset could have an outsized impact on longer dated notes. The newly issued AT1 is not worth chasing. We see...

Hank Calenti, CFA

Bankia - CaixaBank: Merger in Progress, Spread Attractive

I recommend keeping an eye on the spread. It closed today (27 October) at a gross 1.66%, an interesting level for a deal that will certainly close...

Jesus Rodriguez Aguilar

Rizal Commercial Bank: The Known Unknowns in Advance of Its AT1 Issuance

There are several disconcerting issues pertaining to Rizal Commercial Bank (RCBPM) which potential investors need to gain comfort regarding in...

Hank Calenti, CFA

DNB ASA – Window To Be Constructive Is Open

*Stand Out Quarter For First Major European Out of The Box: DNB ASA (DNB.NO) [DNB] kicked off 2Q20 results season with a bang, reporting a...

Thomas J. Monaco

EU Banks – Leveraged To Sharp Recovery

There are continued positive signs of recovery in Europe. It’s not just limited to the US. In all likelihood we are past the dire days of the...

Daniel Tabbush

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