Capital MarketsLibor SOFR
January 26, 2023

Time Crunch Facing High-yield Loans Without Fallback Language

As Libor cession approaches, borrowers that have yet to seek refis or amendments may face higher execution costs. Libor will cease to exist on June 30, yet many borrowers in the high-yield loan market have yet to amend or refinance their loans to address the need to switch to a different reference rate. Syndicated loans with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee’s recommended replacement (or “hardwired fallback”) language will be automatically converted to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) on June…
Capital MarketsLibor SOFR
December 15, 2021

Year-End Deadline for New Libor Deals Focuses Minds on Alternatives

Gazing into 2022, SOFR remains the first choice among borrowers, but may still require “mathematical gymnastics.”The year-end deadline for pricing new floating-rate transactions over Libor replacement rates and a steepening but uncertain yield curve prompted assistant treasurers from large-cap companies to tap the insights of rate and hedging experts from Chatham Financial at a recent meeting. Companies are looking to increase their floating-rate exposure compared to a year ago, generally because they are at the higher end of their fixed/floating…
Libor SOFRThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
August 12, 2021

Next Steps on the Road to Libor’s End: ARRC Chair Tom Wipf Looks Ahead

In part two of his video interview with Joseph Neu, Tom Wipf discusses operational challenges, SOFR’s strengths and more.Keeping track of developments in the long-running financial market drama called the Libor transition has been anything but easy. The number of complex issues at play can be overwhelming—everything from fallback language, interest calculations and credit spread adjustments to term rates, timelines and deadlines. That’s one reason NeuGroup created a Libor transition working group and has facilitated scores of discussions on the…
Libor SOFRThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
August 6, 2021

ARRC Chair Wipf on the Libor Transition Marathon: ‘We Have Passed the Wall. We Hope We’re on the Downhill.’

Part one of a video interview by NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu with Tom Wipf, chair of the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, on what the ARRC and he have learned about Libor and what lies ahead as market participants switch to SOFR. The transition away from Libor got a major boost in late July after the ARRC announced the recommendation of CME Group’s forward-looking Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) term rates, following the completion of a key change in…
BankingLibor SOFRRisk Management
June 3, 2021

Deep Liquidity: Officials Backing SOFR Point to the Repo Market

ARRC Chair Tom Wipf and Nate Wuerffel of the New York Fed on the benefits of SOFR vs. other rates.Know your Libor replacement term rate inside and out. That was the message delivered to regional bank treasurers by top officials leading the effort to replace USD Libor that has led to the development of the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR). More than $200 trillion in transactions are priced over Libor, but the interbank lending market on which the floating-rate benchmark…
BankingLibor SOFRNeugroup
April 6, 2021

Pricing Loans Using SOFR: Wait for Banks or Take the Initiative?

Members discuss the Libor-SOFR transition, including contracts and other non-treasury Libor exposures. Regulators want corporates and their banks to price new loans and other financial exposures using a USD Libor-replacement rate such as SOFR by the year-end deadline—just nine months away. But who should take the lead in this transition—the banks or the corporates? That question and other issues that companies confront relating to the move away from Libor arose at a recent meeting of NeuGroup for Capital Markets sponsored…
Libor SOFRTalking Shop
February 4, 2021

Talking Shop: Seeking Help From TMS Vendors for the IBOR Transition

Member Question: “For anyone using Reval, I was wondering if you have used their IBOR Transition Assessment Service (ITAS) to help with the IBOR transition; and if so, what was your experience and approximate cost to use? Or, if anyone has received any kind of system implementation help from their TMS, just curious what they were able to help with, how effective, and costs?” What ION said. A spokesperson for ION, which owns Reval, told NeuGroup Insights in an email,…
BankingLibor SOFR
January 28, 2021

Cutting the Cord: When Banks Plan to Stop Making Libor Loans

A NeuGroup survey shows SOFR is the replacement rate for most banks, and many accounting systems aren’t yet ready.The opportunity to give feedback on a plan announced in December to allow legacy USD Libor contracts to stretch to June 30, 2023—18 months beyond the initial deadline—ended Monday. Almost everyone expects Libor’s administrator to make it official and is planning accordingly. At a recent meeting of the Bank Treasurers’ Peer Group, NeuGroup members reviewed the results of a survey on their…
Accounting & DisclosureLibor SOFRRisk Management
January 26, 2021

Libor Transition Puzzle: FASB Provides Clarity, Relief to Corporates

Guidance from FASB clarifies accounting for all hedges impacted by the discounting transition.The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) started 2021 by clarifying accounting guidance aimed at facilitating the transition of corporate floating-rate transactions away from the Libor reference rate. The standard setter is also expected to resume progress this year on issues it had set aside to address the Libor transition. Background. On Jan. 7, FASB issued ASU 2021-01, an accounting standards update that clarifies issues stemming from Topic 848, titled…
Libor SOFRTechnology
December 8, 2020

The Voyage to SOFR: TMS Headwinds for Some, Tailwinds for Others

Corporates weigh vendor readiness, the time and expense of updates and devise workarounds amid Libor transition.Corporate treasurers trying to prepare for the transition from Libor to new indices like SOFR and other alternative interest rates are assessing the readiness of their TMS vendors. Many need to decide whether to spend the time and money necessary to upgrade systems or rely on third parties or devise their own solutions instead. While a proposed extension for legacy Libor contracts may provide some…