Axa IM to lend funds secured by ABS

The European Central Bank has looked to tighten the eligibility criteria for asset-backed securities (ABSs) it will accept as part of its credit operations. In response, cash-strapped banks are looking for other ways to put their ABS portfolios to work – and asset managers are stepping into the breach. By Matt Cameron

The crisis may not be as acute as it was in 2008, but the need for liquidity and funding remains great. Smaller banks, along with those in peripheral European countries deemed to be weak, have continued to find funding conditions tough, particularly during May, when the eurozone debt crisis was at its peak. European financial institutions have relied heavily on the European Central Bank (ECB) as a result – but at least part of that funding source is becoming ever more difficult to access.

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