Banks' big week for international bond sales
More than A$13 billion of bonds were issued in international markets by Australian borrowers last week, with financial and corporate borrowers active after a dour period.Westpac (rated AA-) got the week underway, raising a total of US$4 billion in the US s144A market. Commonwealth Bank (AA-) sold US1.0 billion of bonds and in the same market while ANZ (AA-) raised US$1.5 billion of Tier 2 capital in the US bond market as well. In the Euromarket, NAB (AA-) raised a total of €1.75 billion in the form of senior debt, and also sold SGD450 million of Tier 2 capital.Staying in the Euromarket, Rabobank Australia (A+) raised A$100 million for five years, priced at 113 basis points over mid-swaps. Corporate bond borrower G8 Education (an unrated entity) sold SGD270 million of three year bonds which, according to NAB, swapped back into Australian dollars at a margin of 418 bps over bank bills.Mercedes-Benz Australia (A-) raised A$100 million for three years. The bonds will pay a fixed coupon of 2.75 per cent per annum.Westpac issued five tranches of notes consisting of a single ten year tranche and two tranches each of three and five year notes.The ten- year tranche amounted to US$1.5 billion and was priced at 115 bps over US Treasury bonds. NAB reported Westpac swapped the proceeds back at 154 bps over bank bills.Westpac priced US$1.25 billion and US$250 million of five year bonds and FRNs at 95 bps over US Treasuries and 100 bps over US$ Libor, respectively. The swapped back margin was 126 bps.CBA sold ten-year bonds at a spread of 112.5 bps over US Treasuries. The proceeds were swapped into Australian dollars at 159 bps over.ANZ's US$1.5 billion, Tier 2 subordinated debt issue was priced at 265 bps over US Treasuries and reportedly swapped back into Australian dollars at 313 bps over. With the notes being rated BBB+, the pricing seems appropriate given the 340 bps over that Bank of Queensland paid on its BBB rated subordinated debt issue in the domestic market at the end of last month.NAB sold €1.0 billion of Eurobonds with a ten year term to maturity, priced at 77 bps over mid swaps, and €750 million of five year EFRNs, priced at 57 bps over Libor. NAB said the proceeds swapped back at 170 bps and 131 bps over, respectively.As for NAB's Tier 2 subordinated debt issue, the notes have 12-year non-call five, maturity structure and will yield 4.15 per cent per annum.