2025 Operations Conference

Loan Market Highlights and LSTA Initiatives

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Speaker

• SEAN GRIFFIN, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, LSTA, Inc.

Do you want to become a more seasoned loan market professional?   Challenges permeate throughout the stages of a loan trade, particularly for stressed loans which trade on par/near par trade documentation.  Join our speakers as they navigate the intricate landscape of the loan market and provide us with a deeper understanding of its complexities and the ability to manage various components that influence settlements and operations.  A basic primer on pricing calculations, along with focus on some of the more complex pricing situations, will be part of this session, as well as a discussion of liability management transactions and their impact on the settlement of open loan transactions.

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Speakers

• JENNIFER DONOVAN, Principal, Davidson Kempner Asset Management
• KEN ROTHENBERG, Partner, Alston & Bird
• AMANDA SEGAL, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
• DEIRDRE WHORTON CESARIO, Vice President, Head of Trade Closing, Americas, Deutsche Bank AG

Loan market issuance reached record levels in 2024, most of which in the form of repricing amendments and refinancings.  Increased volumes and accelerated timeframes can adversely impact the operational aspects of trading as well as settlement, loan servicing and the market’s overall technology ecosystem.   Implementing clear and timely robust communication channels and ensuring that all parties are well-informed is crucial for reducing delays and addressing potential issues before they become significant roadblocks. Our speakers will discuss current challenges surrounding corporate actions and provide recommendations to increase standardization, improve communication and enhance technology.

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Moderator

• HUGO PEREIRA, Vice President of Analytics & Investor Strategy, LSTA, Inc.

Speakers

• BRIAN CALLAHAN, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Coefficient Markets
• JACQUELINE CUSTODIO, Director, Commercial Strategy - Loans Data, S&P Global Market Intelligence
• GRANT JORDAN, Credit Trading Desk Analyst and Loan Portfolio Manager, Truist Securities
• JAMES PAGNAM, Senior Director of Bank Loan Operations and Settlement, Canyon Capital Advisors

An insightful presentation will be given as our speaker delves into data from the ClearPar system. He will shed light on prevalent settlement delays and identify opportunities for the market to enhance efficiency and ensure timely (and predictable) settlements. The discussion will cover specific trade cross-sections, the automation of routine manual tasks, and the implications of new market entrants, including the challenges posed by Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations.

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Speaker

• JACK COLOMBINI, Head of ClearPar, Americas, S&P GLobal

Implementing industry-wide standards for loan documentation, settlement protocols that outline the roles and responsibilities of each party and timelines for completion can significantly improve efficiency and minimize the time required for settlement.  By adopting certain practices and technologies, market participants can enhance efficiency, reduce delays, and ensure a more transparent settlement process to address current inefficiencies.  However, at the heart of this panel, the Speakers will analyze the current delayed compensation protocols and debate potential changes to ultimately shorten the settlement process for sellers, buyers and agent banks.  They will also discuss implementing settlement certainty for trades that meet certain criteria to improve not only settlement times but also cash management.  Recommendations to ease the challenges involved in transferring letters of credit will also be suggested.

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Moderator

• ELLEN HEFFERAN, Executive Vice President of Operations and Accounting, LSTA, Inc.

Speakers

• KAREN MORGAN, Director of Operations, HalseyPoint Asset Management
• GILLIAN MYERS, Senior Vice President, PIMCO
• PHIL WALDIER, Executive Director, Wells Fargo Securities LLC

Our moderator and speakers will take a novel approach to educating the audience by testing their own loan market knowledge.

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Moderator

• ELLEN HEFFERAN, Executive Vice President of Operations and Accounting, LSTA, Inc.

Speakers

• CONNIE BAILEY-BLAKE, Vice President, Senior Operations Manager of Loan Settlement, Truist Bank
• SETH DENSON, Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
• MARY HEATH, Senior Vice President, Head of Private Market Operations, Voya Investment Management

Understanding the causes of cash and position breaks and reconciling expected vs. actual cashflows is integral to our payment reporting processes. With expedited reporting cycles, minor changes in upstream processes can result in major downstream enhancements powered by advanced technological tools such as machine learning and AI.  Typical causes include errors in cash balances, forward cash forecasting, trade booking, settlement and interest and fee accruals.  Our speakers will discuss ways to mitigate cash breaks including daily reconciliations, guaranteed settlement buckets, and the inclusion of additional information on Standard Settlement Instructions (SSIs) to ensure that funds are transferred correctly and efficiently.

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Moderator

• MICHAEL SCHUSTER, Managing Director, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH)

Speakers

• MATT CLARKIN, Senior Vice President, Head of Private Market Operations, US Bank
• CHRISTOPHER ERRICO, Managing Director, Head of Settlements & Portfolio Data Management, CIFC
• SIMON HARRISON, Director of North America Lending Operations, Citibank

Due to the complex, bespoke nature of the deals and the rapid growth of this sector, there is an increased need for highly specialized operations teams and robust technology platforms to balance the complexity in underwriting, maintain efficient back-office processes, manage portfolio risk, and meet investor demands.  Many private credit firms still rely on manual processes for managing loan origination, servicing and monitoring and therefore ensuring the scalability of back-office operations becomes increasingly difficult.  Nevertheless, because investors in private credit demand clear and timely reporting on the performance of their investments, there is a need to transmit and consume accurate and timely data.  Our speakers will acknowledge specific pain points and discuss operational strategies and solutions (what works and what doesn’t) to maintain profitability without compromising on operational quality.

NO SLIDES FOR THIS SESSION

Moderator

• ILARIA FLEISCHER, Managing Director, Head of Private Deal, Loan, and Onboarding Operations, Oakhill Advisors

Speakers

• RYAN MORICK, Head of Agency Corporates, Chicago, Alter Domus
• COURTNEY SCHONES, Principal, Head of Private Deal Operations, OHA
• CHRIS SCHULTZ, Principal, Churchill Asset Management LLC
• RULA URSO, Director of Loan Operations, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P.

As operations leaders in the private loan market look to understand how next-generation technologies will help streamline their processes and improve their operations, the speakers will provide a deep understanding of how the adoption of digital platforms, AI, machine learning, and cloud computing can transform private credit by reducing manual errors, increasing processing speed and transparency, enhancing security, improving efficiency, automating routine tasks, fostering greater collaboration and ultimately improving operational scalability.  They will also discuss the impact of rules-based intuitive workflows to streamline operational processes, in particular as they relate to complex nuances.

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Moderator

• LISA SCHNEIDER, Executive Vice President of Membership, LSTA, Inc.

Speakers

• RAJIV BHAT, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Martini.ai
• VINCENT FARRELL, Vice President of Commercial Lending, LoanStreet
• JOSH HERRERA, Co-Founder & President, LendOS
• EMMA ZHANG, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, PactFi

In this session, our speakers will explore how technological advancements are transforming the broadly syndicated loan market. To streamline processes and improve operational efficiencies, technology is reshaping the landscape of this once manual-intensive market.  Speakers will discuss how these developments are creating new opportunities for agents, dealers, borrowers, and lenders, while also highlighting the challenges that come with the digitalization of financial markets. Attendees will gain insight into the current trends and future outlook of technology’s role in the syndicated loan space, and how stakeholders can adapt to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

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Moderator

• ELLEN HEFFERAN, Executive Vice President of Operations and Accounting, LSTA, Inc.

Speakers

• JASON COHEN, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Octaura
• KEVIN GALLAGHER, Senior Vice President and the Head of Operations, Bain Capital
• NICHOLAS NOLAN, Managing Director, Solutions Management and R&D, SS&C Advent
• CYNTHIA SACHS, Founding CEO + Board Member, Versana
• SARAH WAGNER, Managing Director and Head of Loans Platforms, S&P Global Market Intelligence