daily simple SOFR – Duane Morris Banking and Finance Law

We knew it was coming, but it finally happened.

Ford Motor Co. announced in June their intention to refinance $15.4 billion in syndicated facilities — and at least some of them on SOFR. With all eyes on what would be the first syndicated U.S. corporate loan tied to regulators’ preferred LIBOR replacement, Ford formally launched the deal this month. Bloomberg reported that there are three revolver tranches that Ford is refinancing (with JPMorgan Chase & Co. leading the loan process): a $3.35 billion three-year portion, a $2 billion three-year tranche and a $10.05 billion five-year portion. Ford’s loan is using Simple SOFR, and not Term SOFR endorsed by the ARRC earlier this summer.

This first syndicated loan originated on SOFR has marked a milestone in the transition away from LIBOR. And as the transition gains steam, more SOFR loans are expected to come in the last quarter of the year.

Duane Morris’ LIBOR Transition Team: Roger S. Chari, Chair, Joel N. Ephross, Amelia (Amy) H. Huskins, and Phuong (Michelle) Ngo.

On July 22, 2021, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (ARRC) followed up on its guidance from June and its confirmation on July 19 by formally recommending CME Group’s forward-looking SOFR term rates. After a roller coaster ride earlier this year, the messaging of the ARRC on Term SOFR settled down. Other than the mystery as to exactly when the announcement would be made, the statement was practically a nonevent. Proactive lenders that have been waiting patiently were quietly preparing their Term SOFR loan forms over the past few weeks. A flurry of new Term SOFR loans should not be far behind.

With this development, it might seem that the market has all the tools that it needs to transition to SOFR. Time for high-fives and a victory lap!

Not so fast. As those who have been living through the transition over the past few years can attest, there is always another issue to address. In this case, it’s interest rate swaps. Check out our recent Alert for a discussion on this issue.

Duane Morris’ LIBOR Transition Team: Roger S. Chari, Chair, Joel N. Ephross, Amelia (Amy) H. Huskins, and Phuong (Michelle) Ngo.