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Bill Kelly on the opportunity in private credit in the current market environment
Key Takeaways
- Private credit blossomed in the aftermath of the Dodd-Frank Act, as the withdrawal of banks from certain aspects of lending broadened the opportunities for private lenders.
- Some potential benefits of bringing private credit into a portfolio may include higher-quality collateral, as well as floating rates, which means higher yields in a rising rate environment.
- Due diligence is very important when selecting a private credit manager, as is understanding the covenants that protect your investment in the event of defaults.
Transcript
I'm Bill Kelly, the CEO of the CAIA Association. We're a global credentialing body focused on better outcomes for the end investor. We have about 14,000 members in over 100 different countries, and we've been at this for about 21 years. I think our very best days for the investor, for our mission, are ahead of us.
The opportunities for private credit, I think, are often viewed as a revolution, but it's much more of an evolution. After Dodd-Frank, the banks stopped lending, and it all went private. This asset class was non-existent really at the GFC, and now it's over $1,000,000,000,000, probably on its way to two. The opportunity set, as I said, has gone private. We've got GPs that are lending into this space on an adjustable rate basis, so a coupon reset may be quarterly or annually. Your ability to get access to better collateral, you're sitting higher in the capital stack. Oftentimes, it can be a very good place to be. The yield component can be higher, especially if you've got a rising rate environment, which we saw for the better part of 2022.
And I don't think we're necessarily done yet. Being able to capture that in real time is critically important. So, if you think about the evolution of lending, this goes all the way back to Roman times. Then the banks came into this space and now it is more of a private matter. So, I think you're going to find greater opportunities again. You've got to be very careful about your partner. Due diligence matters hugely here as well. This concept of cov-lite underwriting has been in the press, maybe a little less so, as rates have gone up. But it's important to make sure you understand the risks you're taking and the fact that you are underwriting a credit, and that's what you've got to fall in love with.
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