Pepper prices largest RMBS deal in a decade

In a trading update to the ASX today, Pepper Group Limited announced that it has priced its $800 million Pepper Residential Securities Trust No. 17 (PRS17) transaction.

According to the lender it is the largest deal in its history, exceeding its previous $700 million PRS16 transaction, and is the “largest non-conforming mortgage securitisation in the Australian market since 2006”.

Pepper’s co-group chief executive officer Patrick Tuttle explained that a unique feature of the PRS17 deal is the inclusion of two US dollar scheduled principal amortisation tranches, each with a different weighted average life, as well as an equivalent Australian dollar fixed rate amortising tranche.

Mr Tuttle commented that the innovative structure of the PRS17 deal has enabled the company to “attract a more diverse range of investors to this deal, particularly among US institutional buyers, for whom these structures are particularly attractive”.

“It also increases the breadth and depth of our investor base, which is hugely important as we continue to deliver strong above-system growth in our Australian residential lending business,” he said.

The transaction will settle on 13 October 2016.