PURCHASE OF CITI CARDS CANADA INC.'S MASTERCARD CREDIT CARD ASSETS BY
CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE IS COMPLETED
TORONTO, Sept. 1 /CNW/ - The purchase by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce ("CIBC") from Citi Cards Canada Inc. ("Citi Cards") of a substantial portion of the assets comprising Citi Cards' Canadian MasterCard credit card business was completed today. Attached is a press release of CIBC providing additional details respecting the completed transaction.
In connection with the sale transaction, CIBC has become the seller and servicer of assets under the Broadway Credit Card Trust ("Broadway") securitization programme, and will replace Citi Cards as Broadway's administrative agent and as a credit enhancer. Citi Cards will act as a sub-servicer of the assets on behalf of CIBC for an interim period. In connection with the sale transaction, $285,413,851.51 of receivables from 1,350,639 accounts were removed from the pool of accounts subject to the securitization on the basis of delinquency or low credit scoring. In addition, defaulted and charged-off accounts were removed from the securitized pool.
A notice of meeting and information circular dated July 14, 2010 was prepared by Citi Cards in connection with the meeting of noteholders held on August 12, 2010 to approve changes to the Broadway securitization programme. A copy of the notice of meeting and information circular is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Additional information regarding the sale transaction and its impact on Broadway is contained in Broadway's Management's Discussion and Analysis dated August 30, 2010 under "Recent Developments - Implications of Completing the Sale Transaction", which is available on SEDAR.
In connection with the assumption by CIBC of the administrative agent role related to Broadway, Wojtek Niebrzydowski and Andrew Kriegler, each officers of CIBC, will be directly involved in CIBC's capacity as administrative agent for Broadway and as such may be considered to be acting in a capacity similar to that of a director under applicable securities legislation.
NEWS RELEASE
CIBC completes acquisition of $2 billion Canadian MasterCard portfolio from Citigroup
Toronto, Sept. 1, 2010 - CIBC announced today it has completed its acquisition of an approximately $2-billion credit card portfolio from Citigroup's Canadian MasterCard business, making CIBC the largest dual issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards in Canada. The MasterCard portfolio includes accounts associated with co-branded Petro-Canada credit cards that offer the Petro-Points rewards program.
"This acquisition is consistent with CIBC's strategy to support the growth of our core Canadian franchise," said Gerry McCaughey, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC. "It represents an important addition to our client base in a business where we have a leading presence in the Canadian marketplace."
CIBC had more than $14 billion in outstanding credit card balances prior to the addition of the MasterCard portfolio, which is expected to be immediately accretive to CIBC's earnings.
"This acquisition will allow us to leverage our strong presence and capabilities in the credit card business," said Sonia Baxendale, President of CIBC Retail Markets. "We look forward to welcoming our new clients and showing them the additional benefits we can offer them as part of CIBC."
Under terms of the transaction, prior to closing, non-performing accounts were removed from the acquired portfolio and from the securitized pool relating to Broadway Credit Card Trust, which has securitized certain Citibank MasterCard receivables.
CIBC will acquire all of the outstanding Class B notes, Class C notes and Series Enhancement Notes issued by the Trust and will assume the servicing and associated responsibilities in respect of the Trust. The Class B notes are rated A2 by Moody's and A by DBRS. The Class C notes are rated Baa1 by Moody's and BBB by DBRS.
CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution. Through our two main operating groups, CIBC Retail Markets and Wholesale Banking, CIBC provides a full range of financial products and services to almost 11 million individual, small business, commercial, corporate and institutional clients in Canada and around the world. CIBC is amongst the best capitalized banks in the world with a Tier 1 ratio of 14.2 per cent at July 31, 2010.
A NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: From time to time, we make written or oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including in this press release report, in other filings with Canadian securities regulators or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in other communications. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our operations, business lines, financial condition, risk management, priorities, targets, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law.
For further information: Investor enquiries: John Ferren, (416) 980-2088; Media enquiries: Rob McLeod, (416) 980-3714
For further information: Rob McLeod, (416) 980-3714
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