Method and system for managing collateralized obligations to satisfy predetermined investment ratings requirements

A method and system are provided which generate a collateral quality formula, based on a data set of collateral quality values, used to guide purchases and sales of collateral by CDO managers to satisfy investment ratings requirements, such as those established by independent ratings services, such as, for example, Moody's Investors Service, without having to adhere to the more limited defined parameters of a collateral quality value matrix.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a new method and system for managing securitized interests in pools of collateral, such as, for example, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), to satisfy portfolio investment ratings requirements.

Investors generally use independent ratings from ratings services, such as, for example, Moody's Investors Service (“Moody's”), to help price credit risk of securities they may purchase or sell. Many also use ratings as limits on their investment parameters and as means for expanding their investment horizons to markets or security types they do not cover by their own analyses. Because investors globally rely on ratings, the ratings help to provide issuers of debt with stable, flexible access to those sources of capital.

Any type of debt or related obligation of interest to institutional investors can be rated, e.g., bonds, debentures, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, convertible bonds, medium-term notes, derivative securities, etc. While the present disclosure utilizes the example of CDOs, which, as described in greater detail hereinafter, are securitized interests in pools of (generally non-mortgage) assets, it should be appreciate that the present invention is not limited to CDOs but has application with respect to other types of securitized interests as well.

Conventionally, managers of CDOs structure the underlying collateral such that the CDO will satisfy certain collateral quality requirements established by an independent ratings service, such as, for example, Moody's (e.g., Moody's Diversity Score Test, Minimum Average Recovery Rate Test, Weighted Average Rating Factor Test and Weighted Average Margin Test), which requirements can be represented in the form of a collateral quality matrix (“Matrix”), to, in turn, meet the requirements of a particular ratings category (which ratings, for Moody's system of gradation, range from C (the lowest) to Aaa (the highest)). An abbreviated (showing only six rows) example of a Moody's Matrix is set forth below in Table 1.

Diversity refers to the diversity score required to satisfy the Diversity Score Test developed by Moody's for CDO risk analysis. The diversity score of a given pool of participations (debt instruments of various obligors) is the number n of collateral (e.g., bonds) in an idealized comparison portfolio where (i) the total face value of the comparison portfolio is the same as the total face value of the collateral pool; (ii) the collateral of the comparison portfolio have equal face values; (iii) the comprarison collateral are equally likely to default (independently); (iv) the comparison collateral have the same average default probability as the participations of the collateral pool; and (v) the comparison portfolio has the same total loss risk as the collateral pool.

Recovery refers to the minimum average recovery rate required to satisfy the Minimum Average Recovery Rate Test of Moody's. It is a measure of the fraction of an exposure that may be recovered through bankruptcy proceedings or some other form of settlement in the event of a default. Recovery rate assumptions are based, generally, on historical recovery rates for loans and bonds.

WARF refers to the weighted average rating factor required to satisfy the Weighted Average Rating Factor Test of Moody's. It is a numerical measure relating to Moody's system of gradation by which relative credit worthiness is represented (e.g., portfolio collateral issued or guaranteed by the United States government might be assigned a Moody's Rating Factor of 1 which corresponds to the Aaa Moody's rating category).

Margin refers to the weighted average margin (in bps) required to satisfy the Weighted Average Margin Test of Moody's. It is a measure of the difference between market value and face value of collateral.

A disadvantage associated with the Matrix is that it offers the CDO manager only limited flexibility in purchasing and selling collateral to satisfy ratings requirements. The present invention fills this gap by providing a method and system for a CDO manager to satisfy portfolio investment ratings requirements without having to adhere to the strict parameters of the Matrix.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, a new method and system for managing securitized interests in pools of assets, such as, for example, CDOs, provide the user with a dynamic tool for satisfying portfolio investment ratings requirements such as those established by Moody's, for example.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, collateral quality values, such as for Diversity Score, Weighted Average Recovery Rate, Weighted Average Rating Factor and Weighted Average Margin, are determined to satisfy the requirements of a particular ratings (e.g., Moody's) category, and a correlation/regression analysis is performed using suitable known techniques (which can be effected via known computer correlation/regression algorithms) to yield a mathematical relationship that can be used by the CDO manager to guide purchases and sales of collateral such that the CDO meets the requirements of the particular ratings category.

The foregoing and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from this disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

The present invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, and combination and arrangement of elements, as well as the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

CDOs allow investors to share the risk and return of an underlying pool of collateral (e.g., bonds or loans or a combination of these). A CDO may be identified as a collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) or a collateralized bond obligation (“CBO”) if it holds only loans or bonds, respectively. Investors bear the credit risk of the collateral. CDOs are appealing to investors because of the attractive yields they offer.

Typically, a CDO has one or more sponsoring organizations which establish(es) a special purpose vehicle to acquire the collateral and fund the acquisition by issuing notes to investors. Sponsoring organizations can include banks, other financial institutions or investment managers.

CDOs are structured such that there is a “purchaser” and “seller” of credit protection on a specified portfolio. The CDO investors are the “sellers” and the sponsoring organizations are the “purchasers.”

The notes issued to investors are “tranched”—offering investors various maturity and credit risk characteristics. Tranches are typically categorized as “senior,” “mezzanine” and “subordinated/equity” according to their degree of credit risk. If there are defaults or the CDO's collateral otherwise underperforms, scheduled payments to senior tranches take precedence over those of mezzanine tranches, and scheduled payments to mezzanine tranches take precedence over those to subordinated/equity tranches. Moody's, for example, rates senior and mezzanine tranches—reflecting both the credit quality of underlying collateral as well as how much protection a given tranch is afforded by tranches that are subordinate to it. Often, the sponsoring organization(s) retain(s) the most subordinate equity tranch of a CDO.

A variety of different instruments can be categorized together under the term “CDO”. Some of the different structures are discussed below.

One distinction is that between “static” and “managed” deals. With the former, collateral is fixed through the life of the CDO. Investors can assess the various tranches of the CDO with full knowledge of what the collateral will be. The primary risk they face is credit risk. With a managed CDO, a portfolio manager is appointed to actively manage the collateral of the CDO. The life of a managed deal can generally be divided into three phases:

(1) ramp-up (which typically lasts about a year) during which the portfolio manager initially invests the proceeds from the issuance of notes to investors;

(2) the reinvestment or “revolver” period (which typically lasts five or more years) during which the manager actively manages the CDO's collateral, reinvesting cash flows as well as purchasing and selling assets;

(3) the final period where collateral matures or is sold, and investors are paid off.

At the time of initial investment, investors in a managed deal typically do not know in what specific assets the CDO manager will invest, and those assets will change over time. All that investors may know is the identity of the portfolio manger and the investment guidelines under which the manager will work. Today, most CDOs are managed deals. In many cases, portfolio management is carried out by a sponsoring organization.

CDOs can be structured as cash-flow or market-value deals. Cash flows from collateral are used to pay principal and interest to investors. If cash flows prove inadequate, principal and interest are paid to tranches according to seniority. With a market value deal, principal and interest payments to investors come from both collateral cash flows as well as sales of collateral. Payments to tranches are not contingent on the adequacy of the collateral's cash flows, but rather the adequacy of its market value.

Another distinction is that between balance sheet CDOs and arbitrage CDOs. These names correspond to respective motivations of the sponsoring organization(s). With a balance sheet deal, the sponsoring organization is a bank or other institution that holds (or anticipates acquiring) loans or debt that it wants to remove from its balance sheet. Arbitrage deals are motivated by the opportunity to add value by repackaging collateral into tranches. In finance, the “Law of One Price” suggests that the securities of a CDO should have the same market value as its underlying collateral. In practice, this is often not the case. Accordingly, a CDO can represent a theoretical arbitrage.

Much of the arbitrage in a CDO arises from a persistent market imperfection related to the somewhat arbitrary distinction between investment grade and junk debt. Many institutional investors face limits on their ability to hold below-investment-grade debt. This can take the form of regulations, capital requirements and/or investment restrictions imposed by management. As a result, junk often trades at spreads to investment grade debt that are wider than might be explained purely by credit risk considerations. With a CDO, a portfolio of below-investment-grade debt can be repackaged into tranches, some of which receive investment grade, and even Aaa, ratings.

It should be appreciated from the foregoing that CDOs are mostly about repackaging and transferring credit risk. While it is possible to issue a CDO backed entirely by high quality bonds, the structure is more relevant for collateral comprised partly or entirely of marginal obligations.

This leads to another distinction—that between “cash” and “synthetic” CDOs. Cash CDOs, the CDO type generally discussed above, expose investors to credit risk by holding collateral that is subject to default. By comparison, a synthetic deal holds high quality or cash collateral that has little or no default risk. It exposes investors to credit risk by adding credit default swaps to the collateral. Synthetic CDOs can be static or managed. They can be balance sheet or arbitrage transactions.

In conventional managed CDOs, managers typically structure the underlying collateral such that the CDO will satisfy specific collateral quality requirements approved by an independent ratings agency, such as, for example, Moody's. In so doing, a Matrix is typically generated for a given CDO (e.g., Moody's Diversity Score Test, Weighted Average Recovery Rate Test, Rated Average Rating Factor Test and Weighted Average Margin Test) that will, in turn, meet the requirements of a particular ratings (e.g., Moody's) category.

The method and system according to the present invention provide a dynamic alternative to the static combinations of collateral quality requirements of the Matrix in the form of a formula which affords the CDO manager sufficient flexibility in purchasing and selling collateral to satisfy the desired ratings requirements with respect to a particular CDO.

Referring now to drawingFIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, combinations of collateral quality values, e.g., for Diversity Score, Weighted Average Recovery Rate, Weighted Average Rating Factor and Weighted Average Margin, are determined (e.g., by the CDO manager preferably in consultation with Moody's or other independent ratings agency) in known manner to satisfy the requirements for a particular ratings category. (SeeFIG. 1, step10). Such combinations of collateral quality values form the basis for a Matrix for the given CDO.

The Matrix is then expanded out, as necessary, to a size that is mathematically optimal for performing a correlation/regression analysis on the collateral quality data set—preferably, the Matrix is expanded out to about one thousand rows of collateral quality data combinations. (SeeFIG. 1, step20).

A correlation/regression analysis is then performed on the collateral quality data set using suitable known statistical correlation/regression techniques (which can be effected via known computer algorithms—e.g., Microsoft Corporation's Excel software program) to generate a mathematical relationship that best fits the data. (SeeFIG. 1, step30). The mathematical relationship can then be used by the CDO manager in lieu of the Matrix to guide purchases and sales of collateral such that the CDO meets the collateral quality requirements that will earn it the desired Moody's rating. (SeeFIG. 1, step70).

The correlation/regression analysis involves determining the values of parameters for a function that cause the function to best fit the given data set. For example, in linear regression, the function is a linear (straight-line) equation.

The correlation/regression analysis is more than curve fitting (choosing a curve that best fits given data points)—it involves fitting a model with both deterministic and stochastic components. The correlation/regression analysis performed will determine the best values for the given parameters.

For such an analysis a data file containing the values of the dependent and independent variables is provided. In the present invention, each data record preferably contains combinations of values, e.g., for Diversity Score, Weighted Average Recovery Rate, Weighted Average Rating Factor and Weighted Average Margin.

Correlation/regression can be expressed as a maximum likelihood method of estimating the parameters of a model. However, for small amounts of data, this estimate can have high variance. Accordingly, the more selections provided, the more accurate the estimate of the parameters. Hence, it is preferred to fill the data set with as many collateral quality combinations as possible (e.g., 1,000 is optimal).

If a perfect fit existed between the relationship generated as a result of the correlation/regression analysis and the actual data, each collateral quality combination of values input into the generated relationship would exactly equal the predicted value. However, this may not be the case, and the difference between the actual value and the predicted value for a collateral quality combination is the error of the estimate or “deviation”. (SeeFIG. 1, step40and decision50). In such circumstances, it is desirable that the results of the correlation/regression analysis on the collateral quality data set be optimized using suitable known statistical “fitting” techniques. (SeeFIG. 1, step60).

Correlation/regression is usually posed as an optimization problem aimed at finding a solution where the error is at a minimum. The most common error measure that is used is the least squares—this corresponds to a Gaussian likelihood of generating observed data. The optimization problem can typically be solved by the use of algorithms such as, for example, gradient descent algorithms, the Gauss-Newton algorithm, and the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Probabilistic algorithms can also be used to find a good fit for a data set.

Referring now to drawingFIG. 2, there is shown a practical example of a Matrix of the type contemplated for use in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the method and system of the present invention, and which could be presented in an indenture. An Indenture is a written contract, also known as a “Deed of Trust”, under which notes are issued to investors, setting forth maturity date, interest rate, redemption rights and other terms. Under the rules of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the contract is executed by the issuer and a trustee who acts on behalf of the noteholders.

FIG. 2sets forth, in Matrix form, various combinations of collateral quality values (i.e., Diversity Score, Weighted Average Recovery Rate, Weighted Average Rating and Weighted Average Margin) determined by the CDO manager, preferably in consultation with the relevant ratings agency (e.g., Moody's), in known manner to satisfy the requirements for a particular ratings category for the given CDO collateral. In accordance with the method and system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, this Matrix is expanded out, as necessary, to a size (desirably, beyond the 80 rows shown inFIG. 2) that is mathematically optimal for performing a correlation/regression analysis on the collateral quality data set.

The correlation/regression analysis is then performed on the collateral quality data set and any necessary post-correlation/regression statistical optimization “fitting” techniques are applied to the results. This yields the following mathematical relationship that best fits the data:

Diversity Score Test:lesser of 65 and the Diversity Score, but in no event less than 45

Minimum Average Recovery Rate Test:lesser of 47.50% and Moody's Weighted Average Recovery Rate, but in no event less than 43.25%

Weighted Average Rating Factor Test:greater of 2090 and Moody's Weighted Average Rating, but in no event greater than 2500

The generated mathematical relationship can then be used by the CDO manager in lieu of the Matrix to guide purchases and sales of collateral such that the CDO meets the collateral quality requirements that will earn it the desired rating. It should be appreciated that the generated formula affords the CDO manager greater flexibility in purchasing and selling collateral to satisfy the desired ratings requirements than does the Matrix.

The present invention can be implemented using a related combination of automated interfaces and manual processes. It should be appreciated, however, that greater use of automated processing and a wider range of features with multiple executions is also contemplated by the present invention.

In so far as embodiments of the invention described herein are implemented, at least in part, using software controlled programmable processing devices, such as a computer system, it will be appreciated that one or more computer programs for configuring such programmable devices or system of devices to implement the foregoing described inventive method and system are to be considered an aspect of the present invention. The computer programs can be embodied as source code and undergo compilation for implementation on processing devices or a system of devices, or can be embodied as object code, for example. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the term computer in its most general sense encompasses programmable devices such as those referred to above, and data processing apparatus, computer systems and the like. Preferably, the computer programs are stored on carrier media in machine or device readable form, for example in solid-state memory or magnetic memory such as disk or tape, and processing devices utilize the programs or parts thereof to configure themselves for operation.

It should be appreciated that the aspects, features and advantages made apparent from the foregoing and the accompanying drawings are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the disclosed constructions and processes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein and in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.