Investors on the Front Line of CLOs Are Getting Cold Feet

  • Equity tranche returns have shrunk to as little as 9%: Aegon
  • Flood of issuance has reduced arbitrage for riskiest slice
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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Collateralized loan obligations are losing their appeal for first-loss investors who stand to reap the biggest rewards.

Returns on CLO equity are evaporating, and that’s making it harder to find purchasers to take the riskiest -- but potentially most lucrative -- portions of the securitized debt bundles, according to an arranger.