How do CLO funds make money?

So if a CLO fund raises some money to go and buy loans, that loan flows through the capital structure and goes back into the pockets of investors.

Aside from the management fees, how else would a CLO fund make money in this structure? Do they get a percentage of the cash flows that are given to the investors in different tranches? And if so, do the performance fee percentages based on the tranche level change? 

Would appreciate any insight!

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Read up on how a CLO works, but I can provide some basic color. A CLO is a pool of loans managed by an asset manager (the "CLO fund" referenced). These loans pay interest, this interest goes down the capital structure based on what the bonds accrue (index + margin). The excess gets paid to the equity tranche, up to an IRR hurdle. Once the equity tranche reaches that hurdle, the is an additional incentive fee paid to asset manager on top of the base management fee.

In other words, the structure of a CLO is very much similar to the structure of any other investment vehicle, such as as hedge fund where the management fee is (in theory) 2 and 20, or private equity, where IRR hurdles are more common.

 

How do ratings work for CLOs? If company falls into junk by moody's or S&P, is that credit sold immediately or do CLO PMs have ability/desire to hold crap-rated credits for some time if they believe ratings will improve or price will recover?

I haven't been able to find this info online and believe it is manager-dependent but any help would be appreciated.

 

Standard CLO Covenants

Covenant analysis provides insight as to the leeway a manager has in terms of altering the composition of a portfolio over the life of a CLO. Investors prefer tighter covenants while managers prefer more flexibility. Credit rating agencies have requirements to attain the desired rating at the time of issuance by tranche, and to the extent a manager must remain within those covenants, they provide investors with a level of comfort such that the risk profile and integrity of a portfolio should remain largely in line with what investors were shown in the initial marketing stage of the CLO. Following are examples of some key covenants found in every CLO, which collectively are designed to protect a debt tranche investor’s investment:

ƒ Maximum allowable debt in second liens

ƒ Limit on purchasing smaller-sized loan facilities

ƒ Limited unsecured loan and bond allocation

ƒ Limit on industry concentration

ƒ Maximum allowed in CCC issues

ƒ Minimum overcollateralization requirement

ƒ Limit on distressed exchanges

ƒ Limit on purchase price of assets

ƒ Maximum amount allowable in covenant-lite loans

CLOs have covenants that will hamper, but not preclude, the ability to hold junk securities. I don't feel like typing a lot so I'll just include this excerpt from a CLO primer online.

 

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