Pepper Money completes inaugural Green Bond issuance, looks ahead to Green Mortgage scheme
Posted: 03-12-2018
Leading non-bank mortgage lender Pepper Money today announced it completed last Friday its inaugural Green Bond issuance, with separate Eur 110 million (A$179m) and A$75m tranches, totalling A$254 million, of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) backed by energy-efficient homes.
Pepper is the first non-bank lender in Australia – and believed to be only the second in the world - to issue a Green Bond linked to residential mortgages.
Mortgages included in the Green Bond tranches were over residential properties that complied with Pepper’s definition of green mortgages as set out in its Green Bond Framework. The definition is linked to compliance with energy-efficiency ratings issued by state and territory governments in Australia.
The Green Bond issuance was part of a $1.25B issue of Australian mortgage-backed bonds completed on Friday, Pepper’s largest-ever securitisation transaction.
Pepper Group has completed over $4.4 billion in public securitisations in 2018, comprising both prime and nonconforming issuances, making it the largest RMBS issuer in the Australian market this year, including the major banks.
The Green Bond tranche attracted strong interest from both onshore and offshore institutional investors seeking high-quality RMBS assets that met their guidelines or mandates for socially responsible or sustainable investment.
Pepper Group’s Australian CEO, Mario Rehayem, said the success of this month’s green bond issuance demonstrated the strength of international investor appetite for high-quality RMBS assets from Australia.
“Some of the investors in the issue were making their first investment in Australia, with a number of investors holding an ESG or SRI mandate” Mr Rehayem said.
“Looking ahead, we see strong potential for securitising green mortgages that are backed by energy-efficient homes.” Mario Rehayem
“Most homes today are designed for a reduced carbon footprint and we sense a growing appetite among borrowers for loan products aligned to these same principles. Green loans will in turn support our future issuance of green bonds, which are an expanding asset class globally.
“Pepper continues to support the communities in which we operate by extending home loans to more Australians. The innovative green mortgage scheme we have planned will help Australians achieve both a financial goal and an energy-efficient footprint,” Mr Rehayem said.
The Green Bond issuance is the first step toward Pepper’s launch next year of a Green Mortgage scheme, under which it will offer incentives to borrowers taking out loans secured by homes that meet the energy-efficiency criteria in its Green Bond Framework. Pepper expects to announce details of its Green Mortgage scheme early next year.
Pepper plans to incorporate Green Bond tranches in all future Pepper Residential Securities transactions (Pepper’s RMBS program).
Properties included in Pepper’s Green Bond issuance meet the criteria set out in its Green Bond Framework. Pepper has received a Second Party Opinion on its Green Bond Framework and a Pre-Issuance Assurance Review on the mortgages supporting its Green Bond Tranche from Sustainalytics. Sustainalytics is a leading global provider of ratings and research into the performance of companies against ESG (environment, social and governance) and corporate governance investment criteria.
Media contact:
Melissa Fanous
Senior Marketing Communications Manager
Pepper Money
mfanous@pepper.com.au
0412 033 103
Nick Owens
Sefiani Communications Group
+612 8920 0700
+61 421 977 062
nowens@sefiani.com.au
