Credit Suisse Forced to Pay Junk-Level Yields for Cash Infusion

  • Lender compelled to offer historically high coupon in euros
  • Sales are heavily oversubscribed as lender embarks on revamp

A Credit Suisse Group AG bank branch in Basel, Switzerland.

Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg
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Reeling from a series of scandals and financial troubles, Credit Suisse Group AG is paying a massive price to drum up demand for bond sales on both sides of the Atlantic that will give it a much-needed injection of cash.

The embattled Swiss lender is marketing an 11-year fixed-to-floating-rate dollar bond at around 9% -- levels more consistent with where high-yield borrowers are currently trading, according to Bloomberg indexes.