BofA Prices $1 Billion in New Bonds for Ecuador Swap

(Bloomberg) — Bank of America Corp. sold $1 billion of bonds that will be used to finance a tender of some of Ecuador’s existing notes.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The deal is part of a so-called debt-for-nature swap, designed to help the country get access to cheaper financing and put the savings toward environmental conservation. The new debt was priced at a spread of 180 basis points over US Treasuries, down 10 basis points from initial negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter.

Principal on the 17-year notes will start to come due in eight years, the people said. Spokespeople for the finance ministry of Ecuador and Bank of America declined to comment.

Debt-for-nature swaps are gaining in popularity both among emerging-market governments and with global banks. The arrangements, which typically take place when a country’s debt trades at a discount, involve guarantees from public finance institutions that help keep a lid on borrowing costs.

The new bonds were issued via Amazon Conservation DAC, a special purpose vehicle, and will be backed by a liquidity guarantee from the Inter-American Development bank, and by political-risk insurance from the US International Development Finance Corp., the people said.

Those safeguards mean the bonds are expected to be given an Aa2 rating at Moody’s Ratings, its third highest investment grade, they said. Ecuador is junk-rated at Moody’s, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

Bank of America is also arranging a tender for four of Ecuador’s dollar-denominated notes, which will be replaced with a new loan. The transaction is being financed through a bond that’s being issued by Amazon Conservation DAC, according to a statement last week.

The difference between the purchase price and the face value of the bonds will help reduce Ecuador’s debt by approximately $700 million, S&P said in note on Tuesday.

–With assistance from Natasha White and Stephan Kueffner.

(Updates with pricing details in the first two paragraphs)