The following is intended to address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility (PMCCF) and the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility (SMCCF) (together, the CCFs). Additional information on the CCFs is forthcoming, including specific start dates of the facilities, issuer certification requirements and more detailed instructions, among other operational details. Please check this website for new FAQs and more information.
Effective May 4, 2020
Why is the Federal Reserve establishing the PMCCF and the SMCCF?
Recent events have significantly and suddenly impacted financial markets. The spread of COVID-19 has harmed communities and substantially disrupted economic activity in many countries, including the United States. The disruption has affected many different sectors of the financial system. In general, the availability of credit has contracted for corporations and other issuers of debt while, at the same time, the disruptions to economic activity have heightened the need for companies to obtain financing. These disruptions have been felt by even highly rated companies that need liquidity in order to pay off maturing debt and sustain themselves until economic conditions normalize.
The PMCCF will provide a funding backstop for corporate debt to Eligible Issuers so that they are better able to maintain business operations and capacity during the period of dislocation related to COVID-19. The SMCCF will support market liquidity for corporate debt by purchasing individual corporate bonds of Eligible Issuers and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the secondary market.
How are the PMCCF and SMCCF structured and what can they invest in?
Pursuant to section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, and with prior approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) to establish the PMCCF and SMCCF. The New York Fed will lend to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) through which the CCFs will operate. The financing provided by the New York Fed to the SPV will be with full recourse to the SPV and secured by all the assets of the SPV.
The PMCCF will provide companies access to credit by (i) purchasing qualifying bonds as the sole investor in a bond issuance, or (ii) purchasing portions of syndicated loans or bonds at issuance. The SMCCF may purchase in the secondary market (i) corporate bonds issued by investment-grade U.S. companies; (ii) corporate bonds issued by companies that were investment-grade rated as of March 22, 2020, and that remain rated at least BB-/Ba3 at the time of purchase; (iii) U.S.-listed ETFs whose investment objective is to provide broad exposure to the market for U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds; and (iv) U.S.-listed ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. high-yield corporate bonds.
In what way is the U.S. Department of the Treasury supporting the CCFs?
The Department of the Treasury, using funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), will make a $75 billion equity investment in the SPV for both of the CCFs. The initial allocation of the equity will be $50 billion toward the PMCCF and $25 billion toward the SMCCF.
Is there a limit to the size of the SPV?
The combined size of the CCFs will be up to $750 billion. The PMCCF will leverage Treasury’s equity at 10 to 1 when acquiring corporate bonds or syndicated loans from Eligible Issuers that are investment grade at the time of purchase. The PMCCF will leverage Treasury’s equity at 7 to 1 when acquiring corporate bonds or syndicated loans from Eligible Issuers that are rated below investment grade at the time of purchase.
The SMCCF will leverage Treasury’s equity at 10 to 1 when acquiring corporate bonds of issuers that are investment grade at the time of purchase and when acquiring ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds. The SMCCF will leverage Treasury’s equity at 7 to 1 when acquiring corporate bonds of issuers that are rated below investment grade at the time of purchase and in a range between 3 to 1 and 7 to 1, depending on risk, when acquiring any other type of eligible asset.
Over what time period will the SPV operate?
The CCFs will cease purchasing eligible corporate bonds, eligible syndicated loans, and eligible ETFs no later than September 30, 2020, unless the CCFs are extended by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Department of the Treasury. The New York Fed will continue to fund the CCFs after such date until the CCF’s holdings either mature or are sold.
Will information about lending under the CCFs be made known to the public?
The Federal Reserve will publicly disclose information regarding the CCFs during the operation of the facilities, including information regarding participants, transaction amounts, costs, revenues and other fees.
Balance sheet items related to the SPV and CCFs will be reported weekly, on an aggregated basis, on the H.4.1 statistical release titled “Factors Affecting Reserve Balances of Depository Institutions and Condition Statement of Federal Reserve Banks,” published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
In addition, the Federal Reserve will disclose to Congress information pursuant to section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, the Board’s Regulation A, and the CARES Act.
Do the term sheets published on April 9th replace the ones published on March 23rd?
Yes.
When will the CCFs be operational?
The SMCCF is expected to begin purchasing eligible ETFs in early May. The PMCCF is expected to become operational and the SMCCF is expected to begin purchasing eligible corporate bonds soon thereafter. Additional details on timing will be made available as those dates approach.
How will the Federal Reserve include minority-, women-, and veteran-owned business entities in supporting the CCFs?
The Federal Reserve is committed to the fair inclusion and utilization of minority-, women-, and veteran-owned (MWV) business entities as it responds to the economic effects of the pandemic. In supporting the Corporate Credit Facilities (CCFs), the SMCCF will consider expanding the pool of entities it will transact with as Eligible Sellers to include a wider range of entities, including MWV-owned business entities. In addition, MWV-owned business entities may participate as underwriters in the PMCCF, and more information will be provided on that process in the future. Finally, as short-term vendor relationships are revisited in the coming months, the Federal Reserve will look to include a broader set of firms, including MWV-owned business entities, in the various roles supporting the CCFs.
Which investment managers are supporting the CCFs?
Initially, BlackRock Financial Markets Advisory will be the investment manager, acting at the sole direction of the New York Fed on behalf of the facilities. Once the exigent need to commence operations of the facilities has passed, the investment manager role will be subject to a competitive bidding process.
Will the investment manager apply its own internal investment guidelines when implementing the PMCCF and SMCCF?
No. The Federal Reserve will provide investment guidelines to the investment manager to implement the central objective of the CCFs, that is, to support the availability of credit to large employers in the U.S. The investment manager will act as a fiduciary to the SPV in performing investment management services and be required to follow the Federal Reserve’s investment guidelines. The investment management agreement will be made public before launch of the facilities.
Who are the points of contact at the Federal Reserve for the PMCCF and SMCCF?
You can direct your questions to pmccf@ny.frb.org or smccf@ny.frb.org.
How may I receive updates regarding changes to PMCCF and SMCCF documents?
Sign up to receive PMCCF email alerts and SMCCF email alerts. You also may check the Federal Reserve websites for periodic updates to the PMCCF and SMCCF.
What is an Eligible Issuer under the PMCCF and SMCCF?
To qualify as an Eligible Issuer, the issuer must satisfy certain conditions:
First, the issuer must be a business that is created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States with significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States.
Second, the issuer must have been rated at least BBB-/Baa3 as of March 22, 2020, by a major nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). If rated by multiple major NRSROs, the issuer must have been rated at least BBB-/Baa3 by two or more NRSROs as of March 22, 2020. An issuer that was rated at least BBB-/Baa3 as of March 22, 2020, but was subsequently downgraded, must be rated at least BB-/Ba3 as of the date on which the PMCCF or SMCCF makes a purchase. If rated by multiple major NRSROs, such an issuer must be rated at least BB-/Ba3 by two or more NRSROs at the time the PMCCF or SMCCF makes a purchase. In every case, issuer ratings are subject to review by the Federal Reserve.
Third, the issuer must not be an insured depository institution or depository institution holding company, as such terms are defined in the Dodd-Frank Act.
Fourth, the issuer must not have received specific support pursuant to the CARES Act or any subsequent federal legislation.
Fifth, the issuer must satisfy the conflicts-of-interest requirements of section 4019 of the CARES Act.
Will the Federal Reserve require a certification of eligibility from Eligible Issuers under the CCFs?
Eligible Issuers under the PMCCF and SMCCF will be required to certify compliance with the eligibility criteria. The requirements and processes for certification are under development and will be provided in the near future.
From which NRSROs will ratings be accepted?
Currently, the ratings criteria for the CCFs refer to ratings provided by three NRSROs: S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investor Service Inc., and Fitch Ratings, Inc. The Federal Reserve is considering including other NRSROs under the CCFs.
Must Eligible Issuers pay the facility fee each time they issue to the PMCCF?
Yes. The facility fee will be applied to each issuance to, or borrowing from, the PMCCF.
What types of entities are eligible to sell securities to the SMCCF?
Each institution from which the SMCCF purchases securities must be a business that is created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States with significant U.S. operations and a majority of U.S.-based employees. The institution also must satisfy the conflicts-of-interest requirements of section 4019 of the CARES Act. These institutions are collectively referred to as Eligible Sellers.
To expedite the implementation of the SMCCF, the SMCCF will begin by transacting with Primary Dealers that meet the Eligible Seller criteria. The Federal Reserve will add additional counterparties as Eligible Sellers under the SMCCF, subject to adequate due diligence and compliance work.
Will the Federal Reserve require a statement of eligibility from Eligible Sellers?
Yes. The requirements and processes for certification are under development and will be provided in the near future.
What does "specific support pursuant to the CARES Act or subsequent federal legislation" mean with regard to issuers?
To participate in the CCFs, an issuer must certify that it has not received specific support pursuant to the CARES Act. "Specific support" in this context means specific support pursuant to section 4003(b)(1)-(3) of the Coronavirus Economic Stabilization Act of 2020 (Subtitle A of Title IV of the CARES Act). Section 4003(b)(1)-(3) authorizes the Department of the Treasury to make loans, loan guarantees, and other investments in support of certain eligible businesses.
An issuer will not be eligible for the PMCCF or SMCCF if it has received a loan, loan guarantee, or other investment from the Treasury Department under section 4003(b)(1)-(3).
If an issuer takes advantage of tax credits in the CARES Act, will that make the issuer ineligible for the CCFs?
No. An issuer may utilize tax credits or tax relief in the CARES Act and still participate in the CCFs.
Are issuers able to borrow under both the PMCCF and a Main Street Facility?
No. Issuers may not participate in the PMCCF and a Main Street Lending Facility.
How is "significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States" evaluated for an Eligible Issuer or Eligible Seller in the CCFs?
An Eligible Issuer in the PMCCF, an Eligible Issuer in the SMCCF, and an Eligible Seller in the SMCCF (each, an Eligible Entity) must have "significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States."
If an Eligible Entity is not a subsidiary whose sole purpose is to issue debt, the Eligible Entity, on a consolidated basis (i.e., together with its consolidated subsidiaries), must have significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States. Under this test, in evaluating the Eligible Entity, the Federal Reserve would not consider any parent company or sister affiliate.
If the Eligible Entity is a subsidiary whose sole purpose is to issue debt, any corporate affiliate of the Eligible Entity to which 95 percent or more of the proceeds from the syndicated loan or corporate bond purchase are transferred for use in its operations (the "primary corporate beneficiary") must have significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States on a consolidated basis. If there is no primary corporate beneficiary, it is required that corporate affiliates that, in each case, have significant operations in and a majority of their employees based in the United States on a consolidated basis must receive, in the aggregate, 95 percent or more of the proceeds from the syndicated loan or corporate bond purchase.
What does "significant operations in the United States" mean?
A variety of issuers of different sizes in a range of industries are potentially eligible to participate in the PMCCF and SMCCF, provided that they have "significant operations" in the United States. While not an exhaustive definition, the following are examples of what would constitute significant operations in the United States for an Eligible Issuer or Eligible Seller seeking to participate in these facilities:
An Eligible Issuer or Eligible Seller with greater than 50% of its consolidated assets in, annual consolidated net income generated in, annual consolidated net operating revenues generated in, or annual consolidated operating expenses (excluding interest expense and any other expenses associated with debt service) generated in the United States as reflected in its most recent audited financial statements.
Can a U.S. company that is a subsidiary of a foreign company qualify as an Eligible Issuer?
An Eligible Issuer must be created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States. An Eligible Issuer may be a subsidiary of a foreign company, provided that (i) the Eligible Issuer itself is created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, and (ii) the Eligible Issuer on a consolidated basis has significant operations in and a majority of its employees based in the United States. An Eligible Issuer in the PMCCF that is a subsidiary of a foreign company must use the proceeds derived from participation in the PMCCF only for the benefit of the Eligible Issuer, its consolidated U.S. subsidiaries, and other affiliates of the Eligible Issuer that are U.S. businesses, and not for the benefit of its foreign affiliates.
Is a U.S. subsidiary or U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank considered to be created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the Unites States for purposes of qualifying as an Eligible Seller under the SMCCF?
Yes, a U.S. subsidiary or U.S. branch or agency of a foreign bank would be considered to be created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the Unites States and would thereby satisfy this criterion but must also satisfy all of the other relevant criteria specified in the term sheet to qualify as an Eligible Seller under the SMCCF.
Are the limits contained in the CCF term sheets (e.g., PMCCF 130% cap on issuance, purchase limit of 1.5% of maximum combined CCF facility size, SMCCF 10% cap on maximum outstanding amount) calculated at the issuer or consolidated top-tier parent level?
The limits are calculated at the consolidated top-tier parent level.
May a company identify or form a new entity to serve as an issuer to the PMCCF?
Yes. Such an issuer generally may rely on the ratings history of any U.S. affiliate that is guaranteeing the issuance and would be limited in its issuances by the 130% cap calculated based on the historical issuances of its consolidated top-tier parent.
How will issuers demonstrate that they are in compliance with CARES Act requirements in the PMCCF and SMCCF?
Before participating in the PMCCF and SMCCF, issuers will be required to certify to CARES Act requirements, such as the U.S. business requirement and conflicts of interest requirement under section 4019 of the CARES Act. Before the launch of the PMCCF and the commencement of bond purchases in the SMCCF, the Federal Reserve will publish the issuer certification requirements and more detailed instructions.
How will sellers demonstrate that they are eligible to participate in the SMCCF?
The certification requirements for sellers will be made publicly available on the New York Fed’s website. Upon determination that all eligibility criteria are satisfactorily met, the facility may begin purchasing instruments from such Eligible Sellers.
Will non-profit organizations be Eligible Issuers under the PMCCF and SMCCF?
Yes. If a non-profit organization meets the eligibility criteria, it will be considered an Eligible Issuer under the CCFs.
Can an Eligible Issuer participate in both the PMCCF at the same time its bonds have been or are being purchased by the SMCCF?
Yes, but the collective purchases by the PMCCF and SMCCF of an Eligible Issuer’s debt are subject to the per-issue limits described in the term sheets.
Do Eligible Issuers include issuers which were not investment grade on March 22, 2020, but were subsequently upgraded by a major NRSRO to investment grade?
No. If the issuer did not satisfy the required rating criteria as of March 22, 2020, but was subsequently upgraded to investment grade, it will not be eligible for the Facilities.
When the SMCCF and PMCCF term sheets mention NRSRO ratings, does this only include published and maintained ratings, or does this also include point-in-time ratings feedback that is not published or maintained on an ongoing basis, such as Moody’s Rating Assessment Service?
The facilities will consider only published ratings.
What are Eligible Assets that will be purchased by the PMCCF?
The PMCCF may purchase eligible corporate bonds as the sole investor in a bond issuance. Eligible corporate bonds must, at the time of purchase, be issued by an Eligible Issuer and have a maturity of 4 years or less.
The PMCCF also may purchase portions of syndicated loans or bonds of Eligible Issuers at issuance. Eligible syndicated loans or bonds must, at the time of purchase, be issued by an Eligible Issuer and have a maturity of 4 years or less. The PMCCF may purchase no more than 25 percent of any syndicated loan or bond issuance. To start, the PMCCF will focus on purchasing bonds at issuance.
Does the definition of Eligible Assets in the PMCCF include investment-grade senior secured bonds issued by a non-investment-grade issuer?
No. In order to be an Eligible Asset under the PMCCF, a bond must be issued by an Eligible Issuer that is rated at least investment grade as of March 22, 2020, and at least BB-/Ba3 at the time of purchase.
What types of assets will be purchased by the SMCCF?
The SMCCF may purchase corporate bonds that are issued by an Eligible Issuer; have a remaining maturity of 5 years or less; and are sold to the SMCCF by an Eligible Seller.
The SMCCF also may purchase U.S.-listed ETFs whose investment objective is to provide broad exposure to the market for U.S. corporate bonds. The preponderance of ETF holdings will be of ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds, and the remainder will be in ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. high-yield corporate bonds.
Will the SMCCF purchase non-USD denominated corporate bond issues of Eligible Issuers?
No.
Will floating-rate debt that references LIBOR be eligible for purchase?
If the PMCCF is the sole participant in an offering, the Facility only will purchase fixed-rate bonds. The PMCCF generally will only purchase fixed-rate debt when participating in a syndicated issuance. To the extent that the PMCCF is approached to participate in a syndication of floating-rate debt, the PMCCF generally will expect any debt priced off LIBOR to include adequate fallback language.
The SMCCF intends to purchase a range of bonds, including floating-rate debt that is priced off LIBOR.
Which ETFs will the SMCCF buy?
If the SMCCF elects to purchase ETFs, the preponderance of ETF holdings will be of ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds, and the remainder will be of ETFs whose primary investment objective is exposure to U.S. high-yield corporate bonds. In some cases, the holdings of ETFs may include underlying bonds that have a remaining maturity longer than 5 years at the time of purchase, or include underlying bonds that would otherwise be ineligible for purchase by the SMCCF.
Will the facilities be able to purchase corporate bonds issued pursuant to SEC Rule 144A?
The SMCCF and PMCCF may purchase privately placed corporate bonds pursuant to SEC Rule 144A.
Are Eligible Issuers able to use the PMCCF to refinance existing bonds or issue new bonds?
Eligible Issuers may approach the PMCCF to refinance existing bonds and issue new bonds, subject to conditions and limitations. An Eligible Issuer may refinance outstanding debt up to three months ahead of the maturity date of such outstanding debt. Eligible Issuers also may approach the PMCCF at any time to issue additional debt, provided that the Eligible Issuer’s rating is reaffirmed at BB-/Ba3 or above by each major NRSRO that has rated the Eligible Issuer and the Eligible Issuer’s reaffirmed rating accounts for the additional debt.
Are there limits to using the PMCCF to refinance existing bonds or issue new bonds?
The maximum amount of outstanding bonds and loans of an Eligible Issuer that borrows from the PMCCF may not exceed 130 percent of the Eligible Issuer’s maximum outstanding bonds and loans on any day between March 22, 2019, and March 22, 2020. Additionally, there is a single-name concentration limitation on an Eligible Issuer’s use of the PMCCF and SMCCF. The maximum amount of instruments that the PMCCF and the SMCCF combined will purchase with respect to any Eligible Issuer is capped at 1.5 percent of the $750 billion combined potential size of the PMCCF and the SMCCF.
Are there limits across the PMCCF and SMCCF?
The maximum amount of instruments that the CCFs will purchase with respect to any Eligible Issuer is capped at 1.5 percent of the combined potential size of the CCFs. If all assets purchased by the CCFs were investment grade, the combined potential size of the CCFs would be $750 billion. Measurement of the 1.5 percent cap for any Eligible Issuer will be determined at time of purchase of a bond or portion of loan syndication.
How will pricing work under the PMCCF?
For bonds that the PMCCF purchases as sole investor, pricing will be issuer-specific, informed by market conditions, plus a 100 bps facility fee. For eligible syndicated loans and bonds purchased at issuance, the PMCCF will receive the same price as other syndicate members, plus a 100 bps facility fee paid by the borrower on the PMCCF’s share of the issuance. For example, in a syndicated bond issuance of $1 billion in which the PMCCF purchases 25 percent ($250 million), the issuer must pay a facility fee of $2.5 million at closing.
What are the issuer limits for the SMCCF?
The maximum amount of corporate bonds that the SMCCF will purchase on the secondary market of any Eligible Issuer is capped at 10 percent of the Eligible Issuer’s maximum bonds outstanding on any day between March 22, 2019, and March 22, 2020. The SMCCF will not purchase shares of a particular ETF if, after such purchase, the SMCCF would hold more than 20 percent of that ETF’s outstanding shares.
Will the underlying holdings of ETFs be counted towards the issuer limits?
No.
If the SMCCF has already purchased corporate bonds of a particular issuer, does it limit the maximum size for that issuer under the PMCCF?
The total combined amount of the debt of a single issuer to be purchased in the SMCCF and PMCCF is limited as set forth in the term sheets. If the SMCCF purchases a particular issuer’s corporate bonds prior to the issuer issuing to the PMCCF, it will reduce the issuer’s capacity available under the PMCCF.
What certifications under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act will be required for the SMCCF to purchase bonds of an issuer?
Eligible Issuers are not required to provide certifications under section 13(3) for purposes of the SMCCF.
What certifications under section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act will be required for an issuer to borrow from the PMCCF?
Each Eligible Issuer will be required to provide a written certification that it is unable to secure adequate credit accommodations from other banking institutions and the capital markets and that it is not insolvent. Further information on required certifications will be determined and publicly announced prior to commencement of the PMCCF.
For the purposes of participating in the PMCCF, what does it mean for an Eligible Issuer to certify that it is unable to secure adequate credit accommodations?
The Federal Reserve must obtain evidence that participants in the PMCCF are unable to secure adequate credit accommodations from other banking institutions and the capital markets. In certifying whether the issuer is unable to secure adequate credit accommodations from other banking institutions or the capital markets, issuers may consider economic or market conditions in the market intended to be addressed by the PMCCF as compared to normal conditions, including the availability and price of credit. Lack of adequate credit does not mean that no credit is available. Credit may be available, but at prices or on conditions that are inconsistent with a normal, well-functioning market.
At what price will the SMCCF purchase corporate bonds in the secondary market?
The SMCCF will purchase eligible corporate debt at market prices from Eligible Sellers in the secondary market.
At what price will the SMCCF purchase ETFs?
The SMCCF will generally not purchase shares of an ETF that are trading at a premium above the lower of the following limits relative to the prior end-of-day official net asset value (NAV): (a) 1%, or (b) the 1-standard deviation level of the ETF’s premiums to end-of-day NAV observed over the prior 52 weeks, on a rolling basis. These limits will serve the dual purpose of avoiding overpayment for an ETF relative to the cost of purchasing its underlying assets, and avoiding contributing to elevated demand that an ETF may already be experiencing, while affording operational flexibility.
How is the level of outstanding bonds and loans defined for purposes of PMCCF issuer limits?
The amount of outstanding bonds and loans includes current and non-current portions of corporate bonds and loans, including drawn portions of "term loans," drawn portions of long-term "revolving facilities" (i.e., maturity greater than one year), and long-term bonds (whether USD denominated or otherwise). Any operating leases, non-recourse debt, commercial paper, and other short-term liabilities are not included. Information on debt should be consistent with the issuer’s audited financial reports maintained during the March 22, 2019 to March 22, 2020 period, including the value of non-USD denominated debt. Issuers that are public companies may not use a higher amount of outstanding bonds and loans than is reflected in public filings.
May maturing loans be refinanced by corporate bonds under the PMCCF?
Yes. Maturing loans from the period of three months ahead of the maturity date may be refinanced and replaced with corporate bonds under the PMCCF. All borrowings are subject to per-issuer limits.
How should the issuer convert non-U.S. dollar ("USD") denominated debt to USD denominated debt in the determination of maximum outstanding debt?
The PMCCF will only purchase bonds and loans denominated in USD. For the purposes of calculating maximum bonds and loans outstanding, the value of non-USD denominated debt should be consistent with the issuer’s financial statements for periods ending between March 22, 2019, and March 22, 2020.
How does an Eligible Issuer request Fed participation in syndicated loan or bond issuances under the PMCCF?
When the PMCCF purchases portions of syndicated bond or loan issuances of Eligible Issuers, the PMCCF’s participation is expected to be alongside that of other participants, at the same terms and price, with an additional 100 bps facility fee. After a transaction is announced and shown to prospective purchasers, in the event of insufficient demand (i.e., demand for less than 100 percent of the offering) and a desire by the issuer to approach the PMCCF for participation to complete the transaction, the issuer and all leads on the syndication may approach the PMCCF via the investment manager and request participation by the PMCCF in up to 25 percent of the offering. Issuers will be required to certify compliance with all eligibility criteria and provide additional data on the proposed transaction, including, but not limited to, tenor, seniority, offering format, transaction size, initial price talk and expected final yield. The method of certification will be announced prior to launch of the facility. The PMCCF will apply the 100 bps facility fee on the amount of the PMCCF’s participation. Prior to launch, contact information will be provided for direct requests for participation from the PMCCF.
Eligible Issuers and their underwriters also may approach the PMCCF via the investment manager to request that the PMCCF be the sole purchaser of a bond. Issuers will be required to certify compliance with all eligibility criteria. The method of certification will be shared prior to launch of the facility. Prior to launch, contact information will be provided for direct requests for participation from the PMCCF.
When the PMCCF is participating in transactions alongside other investors, is there a required minimum amount or percentage of the total deal?
The PMCCF will not have a minimum amount or percentage of the total deal. While not prohibited, Eligible Issuers are not expected to use the PMCCF to borrow very small amounts or small percentages of the total deal.
When the PMCCF purchases eligible corporate bonds as the sole investor, is there a required minimum deal size?
There is no required minimum issuance amount.
Pricing for loans and bonds tend to fluctuate throughout the day of issuance. How will this impact PMCCF participation?
When the PMCCF purchases portions of syndicated loans or bonds of Eligible Issuers, participation is expected to be alongside that of other participants at the same pricing. However, borrowing under the PMCCF is intended for issuers who are unable to secure adequate credit accommodations. Market pricing should not be lowered for the purpose of decreasing demand from market participants in order to fill deal capacity via the PMCCF.
