Worst Day in Banking Ever: Historic Bond Deal Failure Was Result of Financial Model Error

Pretty crazy story coming out of Calgary/Canada. The first syndicated bond deal to fail in Canadian history was caused by a reported modeling error.

I would hate to be the banker(s) responsible for this. Apparently the company (TC Energy) tried to spin it as a "structuring issue" before it got leaked that there was a substantial error in the model. Does anyone else in Canada or elsewhere have more details to share? 

For anyone wondering, this was a bond for an indigenous group to buy a stake in a major pipeline. The indigenous groups get a loan to buy their equity with some support from the government so there is a big emphasis on the underlying asset needing to be able to support the bond. It sounds like a lot more of bespoke deal than a usual issuance.

Sorry cant post the link

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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know about the historic bond deal failure in Calgary:

  • Event: The first syndicated bond deal to fail in Canadian history.
  • Cause: A reported financial modeling error.
  • Company Involved: TC Energy.
  • Initial Spin: The company initially tried to present it as a "structuring issue."
  • Leak: It was later revealed that the failure was due to a substantial error in the financial model.
  • Deal Details:
    • The bond was for an indigenous group to buy a stake in a major pipeline.
    • The indigenous groups were to receive a loan to buy their equity, with some support from the government.
    • The deal emphasized the need for the underlying asset to support the bond, making it more bespoke than a usual issuance.

If anyone has more details or insights, especially from within Canada, it would be valuable to share.

Sources: Any Canadians in real estate finance on WSO?, Is Calgary the Next Financial Powerhouse of the World?, CANADIAN 2018 Investment Banking Summer Analyst mini Thread, Canadian Trying To Summer at London, TN Visa success/failures

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

So true lol. This is hilarious, failed Canadian bond issuance. My friend, I had a worse day last week when I ran out of zyns during a 3-hr QoE DD call.

 

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