CDO's as Self-Contained Reinsurance Structures |
December 10, 2000
By Morton N. Lane INTRODUCTION “Convergence”
between the capital markets and reinsurance markets is not the hot
topic it once was. However, “convergence” has led to this: the prime
mover of insurance risk via securitizations is an investment bank
(Goldman Sachs) rather than an intermediary; and, one of the most
active leveraged underwriters of capital market credit risk is a
reinsurer (Swiss Re) rather than a hedge fund or bank. Both phenomena
provide testimony to the institutional consequences of “convergence”
but other effects, particularly product design, are also continuing
apace. One such product is the Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) –
subspecies of which are Collateralized Bond Obligations (CBOs) and
Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs).
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A Case Study in Credit Analysis |
Capital One (or Capital Two)?, July 31, 2000
By Morton N. Lane
INTRODUCTION It was the best of reports; it was the worst of reports.
We
stretch the literary point, but, on July 21, 2000, Morgan Stanley Dean
Witter (MSDS) and Grant’s Interest Rate Observer (Grant’s) opinioned on
the credit worthiness of Capital One Financial Corp (COF). For the big
institution, the glass was half full; for the newsletter, it was half
empty. The full text of the evaluations is below, together with COF’s
financials. At its core, however, their difference can be seen from
the following excerpts.
Clearly, there is a divergence of view.
Although neither suggests a problem credit, MSDW would charge ahead –
invest more. Grant’s suggests caution – lighten up.
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Pricing Risk Transfer Transactions |
June 9, 2000. Published in The Astin Bulletin, Winter 2000.
By Morton N. Lane
INTRODUCTION Should the pricing of reinsurance catastrophes be related to the price of the default risk embedded in corporate bonds?
If
not, why not? A risk is a risk is a risk, in whatever market it
appears. Shouldn’t the risk-prices in these different markets be
comparable? More basically perhaps, how should reinsurance prices and
bond prices be set? How does the market currently set them? These
questions are central to the inquiry contained in this paper.
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Trends in the Insurance-Linked Securities Market |
May 31, 2000. Also Published in Derivatives Quarterly, Fall 2000.
By Morton N. Lane and Roger G. Beckwith
INTRODUCTION There
is some debate about when the Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) market
(a.k.a. Cat Bond market) began. Was it June 1992 with the
AIG-sponsored property-cat bond concept promoted by Merrill Lynch3?
Was it the end of 1992 when the CBOT launched its since-aborted ISO
contract? Or was it in 1995-96 with the first successful issuance of
an AIG-fronted PXRE property-cat portfolio deal with additional small
but successful portfolio deals from Georgetown Re and Reliance
National? Perhaps it was later in 1996 when USAA closed the first $500
million single-risk deal.
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