[Text] INTERVIEW-Italy's Algebris to launch first CoCo bond fund
[LLOY.L CSGN.VX UBSN.VX CS.N UBS.N] * Fund launch seen in April
* Credit Suisse seen issuing 30 bln Sfr CoCo bonds by 2019
By Maria Pia Quaglia
MILAN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Italian alternative asset manager
Algebris Investments is to launch what it says is the first fund
to invest in contingent convertible (CoCo) bonds, a new type of
hybrid bond that turns into equity under certain conditions.
The Basel Committee of banking regulators is looking at
so-called CoCo bonds as a way to boost loss absorbency for large
banks and will come up with formal proposals for their use this
year. (For more on these proposals please see:
Results of the December 2010 meeting of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision)
"As far as we know, we will be the first to launch such a
fund," Algebris partner Alessandro Lasagna told Reuters in an
interview on Monday.
"We will certainly not be the only ones because, despite the
complexities and the scepticism, the point is that an historical
change is taking place and regulators and central banks are
those who want it to happen".
Some of Europe's big banks are preparing to issue billions
of euros of CoCos when they get clarity from regulators. Credit
Suisse <CSGN.VX>, for example, could even start issuing them
this year. [ID:nTOE6BC00A]
But CoCos have had a cool reception from investors. British
bank Lloyds <LLOY.L> and Dutch bank Rabobank are the only banks
to tap the market with these new instruments. [ID:nLDE69C0U0]
[ID:nLDE69D0QR] [ID:nLDE6B814W]
Contingent capital or convertible instruments convert to
equity or their value gets written down when the issuing bank
hits a certain trigger, such as the decline in its capital ratio
below a given threshold.
Uncertainty surrounding this trigger point has worried
investors and rating agencies.
But despite current scepticism, Lasagna said the regulatory
push to include new generation hybrid debt in mandatory capital
buffers would eventually force major lenders to issue CoCos.
He expects Credit Suisse <CSGN.VX><CS.N> to be among the
first to hit the market and predicted Switzerland's No. 2 bank
to issue about 30 billion Swiss francs ($31 billion) in CoCo
bonds by 2019.
"In the next 18 to 36 months there will be an enormous
opportunity arising from the capital strengthening of the
financial system that will be done through the issuance of these
instruments", Lasagna said.
Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has said banks globally
may need to raise as much as $1 trillion of CoCo-style capital
over five to 10 years to replace existing debt and bolster
balance sheets.
Lasagna said banks would be under pressure to issue before a
2019 deadline for banks to meet new capital rules also for
marketing reasons.
"Companies will prefer to deal with the investment bank
division of banking groups with strong capital positions," he
said.
Algebris CoCo fund, a Specialised Investment Fund under
Luxemburg legislation, will start premarketing in March and be
operational in April but timing will depend on the regulatory
authorities.
Algebris manages globally 1.4 billion dollars and has the
bulk of its clients in the United States. It already invests in
hybrid bonds through its flagship Global Financial Fund.
(Editing by Jane Merriman)
((Reuters Messaging:
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($1=.9545 Swiss Franc)