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A quarter over quarter coupon spread increase can be an early warning sign for investors and restructuring advisors that the issuer may be facing financial troubles.

What do we mean by “coupon spread increase”? First, the coupon is simply the annual interest payment paid by the issuer relative to the loan or bond's face or par value. Coupon spreads compare the interest rate differential between two loans or bonds. Say the coupon rate is 5% in the first quarter of the year, and then changes to 7% the next quarter. This would cause a coupon spread increase between it and the coupon of a comparable loan or bond. [source]

An increased coupon spread from one quarter to another is an indicator that something happened – it does not mean there is imminent risk of default. If a company does not meet its obligation to its lenders, it may be required to take some sort of action to make good on its promises of repayment or otherwise remain in good faith. One such action could be an increase of the coupon payment.

We all know that companies in distress tend to have a harder time meeting their financial obligations, which translates to a higher probability that they will default. A company in this position has pretty straightforward options: either raise enough cash through asset sales, operating improvements, and new financing, or reduce or postpone interest and principal payments on the debt by negotiating with creditors.  

For restructuring or turnaround experts, identifying distressed companies is the first hurdle to deal sourcing and business development. Using the AdvantageData workstation, we’ve compiled a list of distressed loans that you might want to be aware of.

BDC filings are around the corner. See our Q2 2018 BDC earnings calendar below. Outsourcing your data collection efforts to AdvantageData provides your team with access to standardized #BDC data within 8 hours of filings. BCD Advantage empowers your team with the aggregated data they need. Leveraging filing information has never been easier.

BDC Advantage was developed in partnership with a group of BDCs seeking to outsource BDC data aggregation, direct lending analytics and loan pricing across the thousands of US middle market companies currently held as portfolio companies. AdvantageData provides unmatched insight into the BDC space by leveraging tools perfected through over 20 years of serving the sell-side but using data specific to the BDC and private credit space. See why BDCs, direct lenders, BDC analysts and investors all use AdvantageData.

The TTM U.S. institutional leveraged loan default rate is at 1.7%, down from 1.9% at end-July, marking what Fitch Ratings believes is a trough in the default rate. Fitch expects the default rate will end the year around 2.5%.