In a continued effort to restore liquidity to investors who purchased auction-rate securities issued by municipal closed-end funds, two major mutual fund families are the latest to announce plans to redeem outstanding ARS by using tender-option bondsTOBsas a new source of leverage.
Pittsburgh-based
Federated last Friday announced that it will redeem a combined 789 auction market preferred shares, AMPS, totaling a combined $19.7 million issued by its only two existing tax-exempt closed-end funds. This will mark the first time since failed auctions caused the ARS market to collapse in early February that the firm is attempting to redeem its AMPS and is the first time that the two closed-end funds are utilizing TOBs, according to spokeswoman Megan McAndrew.
The two funds hold a combined total of $114.7 million of AMPS, as of June 30, she noted. However, she could not comment on any future plans to redeem the outstanding balance.
The Federated Premier Municipal Income Fund is expected on Aug. 27 to redeem 384 shares totaling an aggregate amount of $9.6 million, which represents 18% of its outstanding AMPS. In addition, the Federated Premier Intermediate Municipal Income Fund is expected on Aug. 25 to redeem 405 shares totaling an aggregate amount of $10.1 million representing 17% of the fund's outstanding AMPS.
In implementing a liquidity solution, the board and the advisor are working to act in the best interest of the common shareholders and the preferred shareholders, McAndrew said.
The TOB program being used to redeem the shares is expected to lower the relative cost of leverage over time and provide liquidity to a portion of AMPS shareholders, the firm said in a statement. The redemption of the AMPS is contingent on the successful closure of the TOB transactions.
Historically, closed-end funds gained leverage in the ARS market until February when, for the first time in 20 years, auctions failed after bond insurance companies suffered credit downgrades. As a result, closed-end funds were left holding a reported $63.4 billion of preferred shares and seeking new methods of leverage to enhance return without increasing investment.
At Eaton Vance, the firm is creating TOBs to provide replacement financing for nine municipal funds that are scheduled to redeem a combined 7,032 auction-rate preferred shares that total $176 million at the next dividend payment date on or after Aug. 22, according to its Aug. 5 press release.
Three of the firms three closed-end fundsthe Insured Municipal Bond Fund, the Insured California Municipal Bond Fund and the Insured New York Municipal Bond Fundhave secured new TOB financing that will be used to redeem a combined 5,639 shares, which represents all of their remaining outstanding auction-rate preferred shares and which totals approximately $140.97 million.
Meanwhile, the six other Eaton Vance funds will use new TOB financing to redeem a portion of outstanding APS representing a combined 1,393 shares totaling $34.81 million issued by the Insured Municipal Bond Fund II, National Municipal Income Trust, California Municipal Income Trust, Insured California Municipal Bond Fund II, New York Municipal Income Trust and the Insured New York Municipal Bond Fund II.
Including the latest redemptions, the 29 Eaton Vance closed-end funds will have redeemed approximately $3.8 billion of APS, or approximately 76% of the $5.0 billion outstanding as of February, using replacement financing consisting of approximately $2.7 billion of bank, commercial paper facility, and other borrowings, and approximately $1.1 billion of TOBs.
Over time, the firm said it expects the cost of replacement leverage to be lower than the total cost of APS based on maximum applicable rates in the event of unsuccessful auctions, it said in a release.
