Credit derivative product companies: A new twist on an old game

Those that claim there is nothing new in structured finance might have a point. The much-hyped credit derivative product companies (CDPCs) now queuing up to launch look very like classic derivative guarantee companies of old, and indeed are basically synthetic SIVs. Primus Financial Products and Athilon Capital Corp, the only two such firms in the market so far, sell credit protection on investment-grade reference obligations and highly rated synthetic CDO tranches respectively in an unfunded swap format.

Rumours are rife that more than a dozen firms are now hoping to join their ranks, among them banks and hedge funds. Deerfield Capital Management and Aladdin Capital Management are understood to have CDPCs in the pipeline and bank-sponsored vehicles are expected from Deutsche Bank and Bank of Montreal. Bear Stearns Asset Management is believed to be planning a vehicle that will focus on selling protection on ABS; another standalone company, Channel,...