Global Credit Research - 13 Feb 2014
Comparing 2013 global bank CoCo issuance
London, 13 February 2014 -- Increasing issuance by banks of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) contingent capital securities in 2014 will pose various degrees of risks for investors, as many contain notable structural differences, says Moody's Investors Service, in its latest special comment "Additional Tier 1 Contingent Capital: Securities Have Common Features, But Structural Differences Pose Degrees of Credit Risk to Investors."
The special comment provides investors with a comparison of AT1 bank contingent capital securities issued in 2013. The comparison looks at some common features and highlights differences among loss absorption mechanisms including loss absorption triggers for all the bank securities issued in 2013.
"Although AT1 securities have many features in common, they also show meaningful differences in trigger points and type of loss absorption, creating many variants of the same structure," said Barbara Havlicek, a Moody's Senior Vice President. "These hybrid securities pose different types of credit risk with little to no product harmonisation."
Features in common include optional and mandatory coupon skip, non-cumulative settlement, perpetual maturities with call features, principal loss absorption through equity conversion or security write-down, and junior to subordinated debt in a liquidation scenario, says Moody's.
But the absence of standard trigger points and loss absorption mechanisms means that each security should be examined as a unique offering. This lack of a harmonised product means investors must carefully examine the features of these securities to avoid unexpected losses, more than with other types of fixed income securities, says Moody's.