Comment: Funding tide turns choppy for Bank of Queensland
The gloomy closing comment by Bank of Queensland's chief executive officer Jon Sutton when announcing a A$15 million revamp notwithstanding, his bank's wholesale funding task seems to have become a tad easier in recent times. This is despite the freefall in offshore markets seen this week.One side of the net interest margin equation, the group's domestic senior debt yield curve, has been pushed out by a couple more years, as indicated in BOQ's most recent annual results, covering the year ended 31 August 2015.More specifically, the regional banking group's investor presentation for FY 2015 shows BOQ made two benchmark senior debt issues, totalling A$1.1 billion, due for redemption in 2017 and 2019, respectively. This is roughly equal to the amount of senior debt that came due in November 2015 plus two other large senior debt issues that are due for redemption later this year.The bank made a point of explaining in the presentation that it continues to use securitisation and private placements, in addition to tapping wholesale markets for its funding task.The total level of long term wholesale funding slightly decreased year on year in the 2015 FY, due to a securitisation run-off. Post-balance date, though, as the bank itself pointed out in the presentation, the group's overall long term wholesale funding balance was restored with a $750 million REDS EHP transaction in September 2015, replacing the securitisation run-off. BOQ also has the option of declining to call about $200 million of its sub-debt at the scheduled call date in May.The average cost of wholesale debt was shown as 3.58 per cent for the year to 31 August 2015, down from the previous year - although a drop in the cost of capital alone doesn't translate to NIM improvement, nor does it clear a path through the competitive headwinds that Sutton has pointed to a the cost of funding for BOQ's major rivals has also been trending down.BOQ is due to report its half year results at the end of this month.